


The Rat King

by Nightfoot



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Murder Mystery, Post-Canon, possible Ristelle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 99,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8405677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightfoot/pseuds/Nightfoot
Summary: A prominent noble has been murdered. Luckily, the Knights have already arrested their chief suspect. There's only one problem: Flynn didn't do it. They'd better catch the real killer soon, though, before Flynn runs out of time.





	1. A Murderer

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been up on FFN for years, but I figured I should try to get my two archives in sync and post it over here too. There aren't any real ships in this except some implied Ristelle, and you could probably interpret it as Fluri if you felt so inclined. Hope you enjoy!

Flynn sat silently in the council room, watching a month of work get ripped apart. _It's not personal_ , he tried to tell himself. _It's just politics_. But, after spending a month pouring his heart into a proposed tax reform to make things fairer for the lower classes, it was hard not to take it personally when Count Borden went through it line by line to explain why it was complete rubbish.

Flynn could understand opposing his plan. He'd only been the commandant for just under a year, and he knew he had not yet earned the trust or respect of a good majority of the Council. So far he had mostly stuck to dealing with the knighthood because he was a lot more confident in that area, and this was the first time he'd tried to use his position to influence the government in non-military matters. He had anticipated being met with resistance, but he didn't think Borden had to be so _nasty_ about it. Surely he could voice his opposition without making derisive comments about Flynn's writing ability. It was his first time writing a legal document - of course it had sounded slightly amateur! He was used to writing military reports, not political briefs. He didn't see why Borden felt the need to comment on Flynn's upbringing in the lower quarter, either. The only slightly relevant part of his argument was his assertion that Flynn's proposed reformation of taxes would lead the empire to bankruptcy. He'd 'proven' this with a flurry of numbers Flynn was certain he'd made up on the spot, but he stated them with such conviction that it would take equally confident math to prove he was making it all up. Flynn wasn't nearly good enough at math to do this, nor was he entirely confident in his original calculations. Those had been _estimates_ , not hard-and-fast calculations of percentages. He was stuck feeling like a fool while Borden pointed out all his wording, math, and genetic mistakes.

"We're running late," Borden said, "so I won't take any more of your time. I'm certain I have afforded this… _attempt_ at a proposal more time than it's worth already." He turned his eyes on Flynn, who sat with his hands folded on the table in front of him, hoping it wasn't too obvious how embarrassed he was by all of this. "I suppose it was an admirable attempt, but I, for one, don't find it convincing of anything but that disastrous embarrassments are inevitable when people try to step out of their place."

The crowd mumbled. Flynn couldn't make out what they were saying, but he just knew they were murmuring their agreement. Ioder cleared his throat and stood up. "Yes, uh, thank you for that, Count Borden. We can discuss this further at our next meeting."

Flynn was thankful when the meeting ended. He'd never been too fond of Council meetings, but this one had been torture. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this furious with someone. It wasn't only because Borden had insulted him in front of the entire Council, but because his actions were directly hurting the people of the lower quarter. As long as Borden waxed poetic about how detrimental Flynn's proposal was to the empire, the lower quarter would continue to be crushed under unfair taxes. He stood and gathered his papers, trying not to move too jerkily or display just how angry he was. If only Borden could be removed from the Council. If only he could just _disappear_ , the way his buddy Ragou had.

Flynn froze, and his grip tightened on the paper. He quickly pushed those thoughts away. He hated what Borden was doing to the lower quarter, but thinking about getting rid of him was unacceptable. As much as his life would improve if Borden was out of the picture, even considering such actions was hideous. He would deal with this ethically and legally, and take his anger at Borden out on practice dummies in the training yard like he always did. He straightened his papers, intent on making a quick exit without meeting anyone's eyes. It had indeed run late; it was already dark outside. He'd head home and get some of his other work done to take his mind off of this disaster. If he was lucky, there would already be a cup of tea on his desk when he got home. He usually felt uncomfortable with servants running around his home and bending over backward for him, but he had to admit that it was nice to come home from a long meeting and have a nice warm drink waiting for him. Maybe he'd even head down to the lower quarter to pay a visit to Yuri; that always cheered him up.

"Commandant."

He withheld a sigh. So much for sneaking off unnoticed. He turned around to see Baroness Joplin standing before him with a stack of papers in her arms. "Can I help you, madam?"

"Yes, you need to take care of these forms by noon tomorrow."

She handed him almost an inch of papers. Flynn took them with a frown, flipping through the first few pages. "These should have been given to me two weeks ago."

"There was a mistake," she said stiffly. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but they were lost under a folder and only found today. However, we do still need them filled out and turned in by tomorrow."

Flynn's heart sank. So much for visiting Yuri. It looked like he was going to be pulling another all-nighter. He sighed and said, "Very well, thank you."

She nodded once, and then walked away. Flynn supposed he should be grateful that was all she'd said to him, because conversations with Joplin normally included more thinly veiled passive aggressive insults. Flynn tucked his papers under his arm and made his way toward the door. By now, the floor was filled with council members standing around and chatting before heading home. Ordinarily Flynn didn't have any problems navigating crowds, but crowds of nobles were a real pain because they had all been brought up to believe that they shouldn't have to move for anyone, and that if someone was trying to get by, well they'd have to find their own way around. This made squeezing through the crowds ten times more difficult than it ought to be.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Reyes said, giving him a poisonous glare. Flynn considered pointing out that Reyes had been the one to crash into him, but he didn't want to get into this argument. After his embarrassment with Borden, he didn't feel like facing any of them at the moment.

Instead he said a quick, "Sorry, excuse me," and hurried on his way.

He had almost reached the door when someone else stopped him.

"Commandant!" She grabbed his arm before he could reach for the door handle.

Flynn had to quell the instinct to reach for his sword. He turned around, very much wanting to tell Lady Emmery that grabbing a soldier from behind was not the best idea and that more jumpy veterans might have stabbed her by now. Instead, all he said was, "Is there a problem, Lady Emmery?" Emmery was the head of the treasury sub-committee, so dealing with her usually meant numbers, budgets, and precise math. In other words, all the things that Flynn was bad at and hated dealing with. He knew it was stupid to dislike a woman just because she got excited by math, but she disliked him just because he was bad at math so he didn't feel too guilty about his irrational hatred. At first he thought she was just another noble prejudiced against the lower classes, but she always seemed sympathetic to the lower quarter and she'd been friendly toward him until he made the mistake of making a dismissive remark about how tedious math was when he'd rather be organizing troop movements. He wondered if fostering deep hatred against a person for incredibly petty reasons was simply a thing nobles did, or if Emmery was just weird.

"Yes!" she said, waving a sheet of paper in his face. "You submitted this form yesterday, but I must ask where in the world you expect this extra 4,500 gald to come from?"

"Pardon?" Flynn creased his brow, trying to get a good look at the paper. This was difficult, because Emmery was still waving it around in fury. By now, she'd made enough commotion that a handful of nobles standing around had stopped to watch.

"What, you think you can demand as much money as you want from the Council? You are on a budget, Commandant!"

"Let me see that, please." Flynn managed to pull it out of her grip before she could flail it around again. He glanced at the form, which was covered in his handwriting. To be honest, he didn't remember filling it out because so many papers crossed his desk on any given day that most of them blurred together. Based on the state of his handwriting, though, it looked like he'd filled this one out in a rush. He looked down at the offending box, which was circled in garish red ink. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I accidentally added an extra zero." All the other numbers on the page were in the thousands, and he'd been rushing to get it done on time, so he had accidentally written 5,000 instead of 500. Since he hadn't added the comma after the five even though the number was in the thousands, he thought it was obvious that he had been intending it to be 500.

Emmery crossed her arms and glared at him suspiciously. " _You_ made a mistake like this? That seems quite out of character for the man I'm told is the empire's perfect example of a knight."

"Yes," Flynn said, trying not to get angry. Yes, in fact, even he could make mistakes. A lot of Council members were watching this exchange now, and Flynn silently prayed they could wrap it up before this turned into a scene. "I apologize for the error. I'll fix it right away."

"Perhaps I can interrupt," said a new voice, and another councilman slid into the conversation. "Emmery, please relax, this form isn't a pressing concern. Flynn can easily fix it tonight and give you the revised one tomorrow."

"Zadel," she said stiffly by way of greeting. "The commandant never makes mistakes like this. His impeccable attention to detail is one of his few redeeming qualities."

Flynn frowned, but before he could object to 'few redeeming qualities', she had continued.

"Easier to believe he hoped to slip that extra zero by and pull in an extra 4,500 gald to spend on the Knights - or worse, to line his own pockets!"

Flynn's grip around his own papers tightened, furious that she would accuse him of such a thing. "Contrary to popular belief, I am, in fact, capable of making the occasional mistake. Just give me the form and I'll give you the revised copy tomorrow, no harm done."

Emmery still looked skeptical, but nodded. "Alright… but you had better not let this happen again." She gave him one last look and then walked away.

The excitement over, the gawkers returned to talking among themselves. Flynn could already hear the whispers; _the commandant screwed up. The commandant made a grievous error on his budget forms_. Flynn wanted to grab someone by the collar and shout that it had only been a single damn zero, and that nobody would think it worth commenting on if it had been anyone else. But no, it had been him, and the perfect commandant simply didn't make mistakes. He started to walk, but Zadel followed him.

"I don't blame you," Zadel said. "I've made much worse typos."

Flynn tried not to show just how little he felt like chatting. If accidentally adding a single extra zero set off a flurry of whispers, shouting at a friendly councilman to shove off and leave him alone might set off a few heart attacks. At least, there were certainly worse nobles to talk to than Zadel. He put a smile on when he turned to the man. "I know. I'm not too torn up about it," he said. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to talk," Zadel said. They stepped outside and into the hall. Flynn felt less stressed already just by leaving the room full of nobles behind him. Zadel patted Flynn on the shoulder. "Don't let Borden get you down, either," he said. "I'd say most of them Council isn't too fond of him, either. I've frequently heard complaints, for example, they he steals the best snacks from the cheese tray before the others get to it."

"That's somewhat comforting," Flynn said.

"I want you to know, I was quite embarrassed by the way he implied that all members of the council share his views on birthright. It was quite rude of him to bring your parentage into this situation. In fact, I'd say you're more worthy than any of us. You, after all, got here on your own hard work, rather than being born into it."

"Thank you," Flynn said. He'd only spoken to Zadel a few times, but he'd always seemed supportive of Flynn's ideals. During their rare conversions, he had gleaned that Zadel had been on the Council for only a few years after inheriting the position following his mother's retirement. He was still fairly young and had a lot of modern ideas, though he tended not to speak up much at Council meetings, probably due to the same insecurity that Flynn felt.

"Borden's just a traditionalist," Zadel said. "My mother is the same way." He sighed and shook his head. "Conversations with her can be so embarrassing; you know how elderly people can be when it comes to being politically correct…"

Flynn nodded. He didn't have a lot of first hand experiences, since both his parents and grandparents had died when he was young, but he'd heard enough old geezers rant about how terrible it was that Krityans were so accepted in human cities these days to understand. "I suppose the best we can hope for is that the older generations will die off and be replaced with a more tolerant one."

"Yes, I hope so," Zadel said. "His Majesty Ioder is sure to be a positive influence on the Council. Although…" he glanced down the hallway toward the door as they walked away, "I wouldn't count on them throwing their support behind your proposal just yet."

"I figured as much." It was too ambitious. He'd tried to do too much at once. The Council wasn't ready for sudden dramatic shifts of class balance - it needed to happen subtly, over a long period of time. He'd been overeager, and he could only hope he hadn't completely blown his chance of making a difference in the future.

Zadel frowned, deep in thought for a few seconds, and then said, "I have an idea. Why don't we go out for a drink tonight? It will get your mind off Borden."

Part of him was dearly tempted to take him up on that offer, but the stack of papers in his hand reminded him that he couldn't. A little rebellious voice asked what the worst could happen if he turned the forms in a bit late, but he ignored it. He had an image to uphold, and that image did not turn paperwork in even a minute later. So, he regretfully smiled politely and said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm terribly busy tonight."

"I'm sure it can wait," Zadel said. "Please, you've been busy preparing this report for weeks. You deserve a break."

Flynn shook his head. "I need to get this done for tomorrow. Perhaps I can join you tomorrow night, instead?"

Zadel's smiled dropped. "Yes, I suppose that will have to do."

"Flynn!"

Flynn looked over his shoulder and saw Estelle rushing out of the Council chamber. Zadel saw her as well and said, "Ah, I shall leave you two to talk. Have a good evening, Commandant."

"You as well."

He walked away, and then Estelle nearly crashed into him. "Oh, Flynn!" she said, stepping back a bit. "Are you alright? I'm so angry at Count Borden!"

"I'm perfectly fine, Lady Estellise," he said. "I didn't expect my proposal to go over well."

"I know, but…" she glared. "He was just so rude to you! That was completely unnecessary. I wanted to… I wanted to punch him!"

Flynn laughed a bit. Something about Estelle getting fired up couldn't help but amuse him. It might be that it was hard to make her fist appear threatening when it was covered in a lacy white glove, or that her face seemed physically incapable of looking violent. "Thank you for the support, Lady Estellise," Flynn said.

Estelle dropped her fist and walked alongside him toward his room. "Really, Flynn, what he said was completely uncalled for."

"I suppose he had a point," Flynn said. "The writing in the proposal was, I admit, amateur."

"Well…" Estelle looked like she wanted to deny it, but then chose not to lie to him. "I guess it was, but only a bit. You simply need practice. It's ridiculous for people to hold you to the same standards of literacy considering you never got a formal education the way all the nobles did."

"I don't want to use an excuse," Flynn said. "I can't give them any excuse to use my background against me."

"Hm, that's true. Oh, I know! Next time you're writing something, bring it to me. I'll help you word it properly so sounds just as pompous and formal as the Council is used to."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

"Good. So, what are you doing for the rest of the day? Are you going to go visit Yuri?"

He glanced over at her. "Why would you suggest that?" Yuri had been in town for a couple of months now, helping the lower quarter rebuild their fountain now that the blastia were gone. They were both very busy, so they didn't often get around to visiting each other.

Estelle shrugged. "You always go visit Yuri when you're upset."

"I do not."

She gave him a knowing look.

Flynn frowned. "Alright, maybe I do, but tonight I'm busy. Maybe you should go visit him?"

"I'm busy tonight, too," Estelle said with a happy grin. "I'm going to chat with Rita!"

"Oh, that's right," Flynn said. "You mentioned something about a long-distance communication device."

"Yes!" Estelle said. "It's a… um… well, I don't actually know how to works, but Rita said the two machines were in sync somehow so that if you type on one, it shows up on the other. That way, we can talk even when she's in Halure and I'm in Zaphias."

"That sounds like incredibly useful technology. Remind me to speak with her about adopting this technology for the Knights."

"Alright, I'll ask her about it. It seems like a lot of fun, though."

"I'm sure." They reached the door to Flynn's room, which was actually his office with an attached apartment. He'd wanted to stay in his old room, but Ioder had insisted he take the commandant's suite. He'd done a considerable amount of redecorating to try to distance it from Alexei before agreeing to move in.

"Good luck with your paperwork, Flynn," Estelle said. "Don't stay up too late."

Flynn smiled. "I won't." He would.

"Bye!" Estelle said, waving goodbye.

Flynn waved briefly, and then entered his office. He smiled when, sure enough, he spotted a cup of tea sitting on his desk. He crossed the large room and entered his private chambers, and jumped when he almost crashed into someone. His heart skipped a beat and he impulsively reached for the knife on his belt, before realizing it was just a servant getting the laundry.

"I'm sorry, sir!" the young woman said, shaking a bit.

His hand at his belt landed on nothing. He glanced down for a second with a small frown. He usually kept his knife on him when he didn't have his sword because he was aware of the possibility of assassination for a man in his position (although Yuri said it was paranoia). Then again, he recalled that last night he'd taken it out to sharpen, and it was possible he'd forgotten to put it away in the sheath again. It was probably on his desk.

"Sir?" the servant said hesitantly.

His eyes snapped up, thoughts of the knife brushed aside. "No, no, I'm sorry," Flynn said. "You just surprised me." That was something he was still having trouble adjusting to: servants! They'd mostly kept out of his way when he lived here as a lieutenant, but now he had servants coming into his home at all hours, cleaning, washing, making his bed, or offering to get him tea. After spending the majority of his life as an impoverished orphan in the lower quarter, it was hard to get used to.

"I'm just taking your laundry, sir," the maid said. "Is that alright?"

"Yes, of course," Flynn said, nodding and stepping aside. At first it had bothered him to think that there were _ladies_ who were handling his _undergarments,_ but Estelle said it would turn into a huge mess if the commandant was seen doing his own laundry, so he had to get used to it.

"Have a good evening, sir," the maid said, and then scurried away before he could wish her the same.

Flynn sighed, and then headed in. Usually he worked at his desk in the office, but he was feeling out-of-sorts from his embarrassment today so perhaps it was a work-from-bed kind of evening. Within fifteen minutes of arriving at home, he had changed out of his uniform, carried the tea cup to his room, and curled up on his bed with a clipboard and a stack of papers. It was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Louise Shipton was a maid in Count Borden's mansion. It was a good job, if not the best. She had never even met Borden, because she only ventured upstairs at night after everyone was sleeping to make sure they would awake to a freshly cleaned house. She actually preferred it this way, because working at night was relaxing. There was nobody to yell at her, or tell her she wasn't supposed to hum on duty, and she never had to worry about family members suddenly appearing while she was working.

As such, she was in a good mood that evening as she knelt in the hallway and scrubbed the wooden floors outside Count Borden's bedroom. She hummed a little tune quietly to herself, planning the activities she would get up to on her next afternoon off. Just as she finished her song and was about to stat humming again, she heard a crash from Borden's room.

She paused and stared at the door, and a shiver ran down her spine when she heard a muffled shout. She glanced around the hallway, as if hoping someone else might be here to deal with this, but she was quite alone. Louise slowly stood up and tried to quell her shaking, and then rapped on the door. "M-My Lord? Is everything alright?"

Something thudded on the ground. Louise bit her lip, and tried knocking a little louder. "Are you alright, My Lord?"

There was no answer, but her intuition screamed that there was something wrong. Her hands gingerly went to the doorknob. She was terrified of what she might find if Count Borden was in trouble, but equally terrified of what might happen to her if she walked in on him when he wasn't. She cautiously poked her head into the room. "M-My Lord?"

Borden lay on the ground, something dark covering his neck and the carpet beneath him. The moonlight streaming in through the window glinted on it. Blood. Her stomach lurched, and then she realized that there was someone else in the room. Her legs turned to stone as shadowy figure darted out of the corner and to the open window. He crouched on the window frame for a second, looking back at her. With only the moon behind to illuminate him, he was little more than a silhouette. The only detail she could make out was the top of his head, which was covered in messy blond hair. She saw a flash of white as he smiled, and then raised a finger to his lips, like the two of them were in on a little secret. Without another word, he slipped over the side and disappeared.

Louise stood frozen for almost an entire minute, and then she screamed.

* * *

Flynn woke up slowly at first. He drifted into consciousness, enjoying how soft and warm his bed was. It was so uncommon that he actually got to sleep in and enjoy - wait. Why was he sleeping in? Flynn's eyes shot open and he bolted upright. It wasn't a weekend, he had work today! He looked to the clock, and saw that it was already ten-thirty. Shit, shit, shit - had he actually forgotten to set his alarm last night!? He didn't have any meetings this morning, but he had so much work to do. He sprung from bed and headed for his dresser to grab his uniform, but stopped halfway and looked down at himself. He was already in his uniform. Had he gone to sleep without getting undressed? He looked back at his bed and saw his boots kicked off at the side, dried mud caked on the bottom. That had definitely not been there last night.

He put a hand to his head and stared at his bed in confusion. He had a mild headache, but he was much too agitated to worry about it at the moment. The last thing he remembered, he was sitting on the bed doing paperwork. Paperwork! He hurried to his bed and found the papers discarded on the floor, a few of them wrinkled. He gathered them up as quickly as he could, and glanced over them in despair. Less than half of them had been filled out. What the hell had happened last night? Based on his boots, he'd apparently gone somewhere, but for the life of him he couldn't recall where. Perhaps he had sleepwalked. Yuri said he'd done that sometimes when they were younger, although he was pretty sure it had been years since he'd last done it. Of course, since he lived alone he didn't really have any way to be sure.

There was no time to worry about it. He needed to get these papers filled out, and he had an hour and a half to do it. Dread curled in his stomach; there were at least three hours of work here. Better get cracking. He sat down at his desk in his office and began writing. His handwriting was rushed and frantic, and almost as illegible as Yuri's. Flynn didn't have very neat handwriting in general, a side-effect of picking up his reading and writing skills without proper instruction in the lower quarter. He could make it neat when he slowed down, so that the nobles with their fancy handwriting taught by private tutors might take him seriously, but there was no time for that now.

He had filled out about four forms when a loud knock resounded through his office. Without looking up, he said, "Enter." This had better be important, because he didn't have time for distractions.

Leblanc, Adecor, Boccos, and Captain Peel marched into the room. Peel was one of the new captains, who'd been promoted during the shuffling that occurred after the Alexei crisis. With Flynn promoted to commandant, Cumore dead, and Schwann leaving the knights, there were several new captain positions to fill. Peel had taken over the Schwann Brigade, but as far as Flynn knew, they were about as fond of Peel as Flynn was and still referred to themselves as the Schwann Brigade whenever Peel was out of the room. The four of them stood before his desk. Adecor and Boccos looked nervous, glancing at each other, fiddling their thumbs, and looking worriedly to Leblanc. Leblanc's face was determinedly blank, but he refused to meet Flynn's eyes. Peel was the only one who seemed to want to be there, and Flynn wasn't sure he like the satisfied smile threatening to take over his face.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Commandant Flynn Scifo," Peel said, pulling out a sheet of paper. Flynn couldn't make out what it said from here, but he saw the Council's seal on it. "You are hereby placed under arrest for suspicion of murder."

Flynn stared at Peel, not sure what he was talking about. He was so frazzled from oversleeping and rushing through his paperwork that he'd misheard what Peel said. He could have sworn Peel said that he was under arrest, but that was ridiculous. "Excuse me?"

"Sir," Leblanc said, finally looking at him with an apologetic expression, "it would look better for you if you come quietly."

"Come where? Is this a joke?" He set his pen down, a bit more aggressively than he'd intended. "I am far too busy for such distractions today, so if you have nothing else to say, please excuse yourselves."

"This is not a joke, Commandant," Peel said. "This here," he gestured at the paper he carried, "is a warrant for your arrest ratified by the Council."

Flynn gaped at him in confusion, and then grabbed the paper. It took him seconds to glance over it. The words seemed to blur before his eyes. There were several paragraphs of wordy legalities, but all Flynn could focus on was the seal and the words right at the bottom of the page, verifying that the Council had given the Knights explicit permission to arrest their commanding officer. "But…" he said, trying to find words. "Who am I supposed to have murdered?"

"Count Borden, sir," Leblanc said.

Flynn's eye widened. "Borden is dead?"

Adecor spoke up, "He was murdered in the dead of night, I say!"

"And a witness saw a man matching your description fleeing the scene," Boccos added.

"I'm sorry, sir," Leblanc said. "None of us want to believe you are guilty, but we must follow procedure."

"Yes," Flynn said numbly. It was hard to believe this was really happening. "Of course. You can't give me preferential treatment because of my rank." He'd put great effort into ensuring all the laws were very clear on what the Knights were supposed to do if the commandant broke the law in an attempt to keep another Alexei from happening. He had never imagined it would come back to bite him. He knew the procedure just as well as Leblanc did. If they had sufficient evidence pointing at one person, they were to get an arrest warrant from their captain, or, in Flynn's case, from the Council. The suspect would then be taken into custody to be questioned and await trial.

"Well, Commandant?" Peel said. Damn him, he sounded like he was enjoying this. He was a good knight, but he was, as Zadel would call it, a 'traditionalist'. As a noble, the idea that his commandant was born in the lower quarter was fundamentally at odds with everything he believed about the social order. The chance to believe that said commandant was actually a criminal undeserving of respect must be a welcome relief to his confused classist brain. "Are you going to come quietly, or are you going to make this difficult for yourself?"

With a sigh of frustration, Flynn stood up. What else could he do? This must be a case of a massive misunderstanding. He'd work things out and then get back to work by the end of the day. He could only hope he wouldn't be blamed for the papers being turned in late. Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he would be.

He walked around the desk and held out his hands. "Well, let's get this over with."

With a face that looked like this physically pained him, Leblanc handcuffed Flynn. "I'm sorry, sir," he said in a lowered voice. Considering Leblanc usually sounded like he was trying to project to an entire stadium no matter how small the room or the crowd, this ended up at about the level of a normal speaking voice.

"It's alright," Flynn said. "You're only doing your job."

"Come on, then," Peel said, tapping his foot impatiently.

Flynn nodded, and allowed them to escort him out of the office. For the entire walk, his mind raced. Borden was dead? To be honest, he had a limited ability to feel sympathy for the man. Borden had made his fortune abusing his title and taking advantage of the lower classes. He had been a friend of Ragou's, and Flynn would bet his title he'd been involved somehow. There just wasn't a paper trail to prove it. Borden being out of the way would actually make his life a lot easier, since he was the leading voice of opposition against Flynn's proposal. As he thought these things, he realized that everyone else must know he felt this way, too. He'd certainly never gone out of his way to hide his disdain for the man, and none of this did him any favours in proving he had nothing to do with the man's murder.

As they walked, everyone they passed stopped to stare. How much did they know? What would they think upon seeing the commandant led through the halls in handcuffs? Knowing how rumours flew through the castle's gossip circles, Flynn assumed it was only a matter of time before someone was fervently telling their friends that he'd massacred an entire room and been caught in the act.

Near the dungeons, they took a turn down a side hall and through a door to a small room. Adecor and Boccos waited outside, while Peel and Leblanc led him in. As soon as he entered, Ioder and Estelle jumped to their feet.

"Flynn!" Estelle said, rushing around the table to his side. "Are you alright?" She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you," Flynn said.

"I heard what happened. I just don't believe it at all," Estelle said, shaking her head slowly.

"Estellise," Ioder said, "please sit down. I'm sure there is a rational explanation for all of this."

"Right," Estelle said. She squeezed Flynn's arm and then sat down next to Ioder.

"Take a seat, Commandant," Peel said, gesturing to the chair that sat alone on one side of the table. He'd been in this room before, but he never thought he'd sit on that side of the table.

"I've been informed of the situation," Ioder said once Peel and Leblanc sat down across from Flynn.

"I'd be grateful if you told me," Flynn said. "I'm still not entirely sure what's going on. All I know is that Count Borden has been killed and that somehow I've been named as a suspect."

"First of all, Commandant," Peel said, pulling something out of his belt, "do you recognize this?" He placed a knife on the table.

Flynn frowned and stared at it, suddenly remembering missing his yesterday. It hadn't been on his desk this morning like he'd thought it might be, but with his panic over paperwork he hadn't given it much thought. His eyes went to the pommel. Yep, this was his alright. Years ago, he'd gotten into the habit of putting his initials on anything he owned that might have an identical copy, because he had gotten really sick of Yuri losing his crap and then taking Flynn's and insisting Flynn was the one who had lost it. He'd been given this knife upon his promotion to captain, and all the other knight captains had identical ones, so he'd taken precautions and labelled it. He looked up at Peel and nodded. There was no point trying to deny it, since it had his initials on it. "Yes, this is my knife. Where did you find it?"

Estelle and Ioder exchanged worried glances.

Leblanc cleared his throat slightly. "Next to Borden's body, sir. That's the murder weapon."

Flynn's eyes darted back to the knife in horror. "I lost it yesterday," he said quickly. "The real culprit must have swiped it from me."

"Can you prove that it was missing yesterday?" Peel asked.

Flynn stared at the table in frustration. He couldn't even say for sure when he'd lost it. He'd left his room with it in the morning and he hadn't had it that evening. If he had reported the lost knife to someone yesterday this wouldn't be an issue, but as it was… "No," he said dully.

"Additionally," Leblanc said, "this morning, a washerwoman found one of your shirts in the laundry, splattered with blood."

Flynn jerked his head up. "How do you know it's mine?"

"It has your name on it, sir," Leblanc said.

Oh right. Damn. He'd never expected his habit of marking his crap to keep it out of Yuri's grubby hands would come back to haunt him. He slowly shook his head. "This is impossible. I didn't even know Borden was dead until you told me." He didn't know what to say about the shirt. He couldn't think of any explanation as to how it might have gotten blood splattered.

"What were you doing last night, sir?" Leblanc said.

"Nothing," Flynn said. "I was in my room doing paperwork all night."

"Is that so?" Peel said with a small smile. "You certainly didn't seem to get much of it accomplished, since you were rushing to finish this morning. Additionally, we have several witnesses who saw you leave the castle last night around eleven-thirty."

Flynn stared at him in confusion. "What? No. I…" His mind drifted to the mud-covered boots by his bed this morning. They certainly hadn't been like that when he went to bed. _Had_ he gone out? He didn't remember leaving his room, but how else could he explain the shoes, or waking up in his uniform? His brow creased in concentration, trying to recall anything of the night before, but it was all a blank.

"What is it, Flynn?" Estelle said. "Where did you go? Tell us, so we can prove you're innocent."

"I… I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I don't remember leaving last night."

"So what you're saying is," Peel said, "you refuse to divulge your whereabouts during the time of the murder."

"I'm not refusing," Flynn said. "I honestly don't remember."

"So, you just slipped out for a little evening stroll at midnight and this entire event completely slipped your mind?"

Flynn took a deep breath and leaned forward with his forehead on his hands. It sounded awful and he knew it. Try as he might, he couldn't recall a single detail of last night other than sitting down to do his paperwork. "I don't know."

"Can you think of any explanation for the witness who saw you fleeing the crime scene?"

Flynn shook his head slowly, his face still covered by his hands. "I don't know. Maybe it was someone else who happens to look like me?"

"I see," Peel said. "Someone who happens to look like you, who happens to have your personal knife in his possession, who happens to have the name 'Flynn Scifo' written on his bloodied shirt and who happens to live in the castle and has his laundry picked up by the castle servants."

"But that's so obvious," Estelle said. "Flynn is way too smart to have put such obvious evidence in the laundry, or to leave his knife at the crime scene."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Leblanc said, "but 'he's too smart to leave those clues' is not permissible evidence."

"Flynn," Ioder said, "this is completely out of character for you. Please, give me something. You must have _some_ evidence to prove it wasn't you."

Flynn stared at the table. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd worked so hard for so long to achieve his position, and he was finally so close to making his and Yuri's dream of reforming the empire come true, and now this?! He had anticipated resistance from the nobles, but to find himself facing a damned _murder charge_? The thing was, he couldn't even say with one hundred percent certainty that he was innocent. He had been so furious with Borden last night, and he recalled thinking about how much easier life would be if he was out of the way. What if he _had_ killed Borden, and suppressed the memory?

"I don't know," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He was scared - terrified, in fact. Not of going to jail, not even of the threat of execution if he was found guilty, but of the horrifying possibility that he was capable of such an act. Jail, trials, false accusations… that stuff he could handle. Those were problems that could be fixed. The thought that there might be something dark, something evil, lurking inside himself that he had no idea how to control… that was terrifying. "I just don't know."

With his gaze locked on the table, he started to cross his arms but the handcuffs tugged at his wrists and restricted the movement. Oh, damn, he'd almost forgotten about those. Here he was, in handcuffs, being interrogated by knights, and unable to disprove any of their evidence. It was starting to sink in that this was really happening. He was _actually_ getting charged with murder.

"I… see." Ioder folded his hands uncomfortably. "Flynn, I want to help you, but with this much evidence, anyone else probably would have been convicted by now. I can't make exceptions for you because you're my friend, or my standing as a fair emperor would be ruined."

"I understand," Flynn said, still looking at the table. "I wouldn't want you to damage your relationship with the Council on my account. You're right. I would have arrested me by now, too."

"But, Flynn," Estelle said, "you're not guilty. I know you can't be."

"Nevertheless," Peel said, "the facts are that a witness can place someone with your likeness at the scene of the crime, the murder weapon is, by your own admission, your personal knife, one of your shirts was found with bloodstains, you have a known grudge against the victim, and you have no alibi to prove your whereabouts at the time of the murder." Peel failed to keep the triumph out of his voice.

"All I can think of is that someone is attempting to frame me," Flynn said. But that didn't answer why he'd snuck out of the castle last night, where he'd gone, and why he'd erased it from his mind.

Ioder let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Flynn. I have no choice. As per the law, you will be kept in knight custody until your trial, which will be one month from today."

Flynn nodded dumbly. _This is really happening. I'm being arrested for murder. What the_ hell?


	2. The Game is Afoot

"Ted, if you're not going to help, could you at least get out of the way?" Yuri straightened up and wiped sweat from his brow. Installing a water pump turned out to be hard work. Ripping out the old fountain alone had taken weeks.

"I tried to help," Ted said, sitting on the partly complete stone wall of the new fountain. "But I couldn't lift any of the blocks."

"Yeah, because you're a little pipsqueak," Yuri said. He put a lot of effort into hiding how difficult the labour was for himself, too. After wearing a bodhi blastia for a few years, it was taking him awhile to adjust to the sudden lack of power.

Repede barked, and Yuri reached over to scratch between his ears. "I know, Repede. You'd help, too, if you had opposable thumbs." He planted a hand on his back and leaned backward until his spine popped. With a sigh, he sat down on the low stone wall, taking a much-deserved break. "Man, if I knew how much trouble replacing the fountain was going to be, I never would have gotten rid of the blastia." It was kind of ironic, actually. He'd set out on a quest to bring back the lower quarter's aque blastia, but that quest had ultimately ended in getting rid of that very same blastia. It was frustrating to think that after all the effort he'd gone through to get that blastia back, he was stuck replacing the fountain anyway.

"Hey, Yuri," Ted said, looking down at his book, "did you know that a butterfly tastes with its feet?"

Yuri looked over in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"It says so right here," Ted said, turning the book around and pointing out the paragraph. Yuri didn't bother reading it himself. "See, it says that a butterflies taste-sensors are on their feet! That's crazy."

Yuri had a brief mental image of having tongues sticking out of the soles of his feet, and quickly brushed that aside. "That's great, Ted."

"And did you know that a cow has four stomachs?"

"That's fascinating," Yuri said, "but when it comes to cows and stomachs, the only thing I care about is whether that cow is going to end up in mine. Where did you get that book, anyway?"

"Lady Estellise gave it to me!" Ted said, looking up proudly. "When she came to visit you last week she said she thought I'd enjoy it."

"Oh, good," Yuri said. "Now I have someone to blame."

"The princess is really nice," Ted said, absently flipping through the pages. "She's really pretty, too. I think she should be the empress instead of Ioder."

"What's wrong with Ioder?"

Ted shrugged. "I don't know. He's fine. I just like Estellise better."

Yuri shook his head slowly. "Trust me, Ioder is a better man for the job. For one, he actually wants it." Yuri was no expert on politics, but it would probably be best if the empire didn't choose their monarch based on the recommendations of a twelve-year-old boy. Until he'd met Estelle, Ted had been pretty sure that Yuri should be the emperor, because he 'saved the the world a lot and stuff.'

"Wow!" Ted said, staring at his book, all thoughts of royal succession forgotten. "Yuri, did you know that sometimes rats get their ties all stuck together and then they turn into a big mass of rats!"

"Oh, please," Yuri said. "That's a load of…" he had a quick mental image of Estelle's disapproving face if she found out he'd said 'bullshit' in front of a kid. "Malarkey."

"No, look, there are pictures!" Ted turned the book around again and pointed at a picture. Yuri wasn't too fond of rats and had no interest in leaning in to get a closer look. "Ted, that's an illustration. I could draw a giant flying squid but that doesn't mean they really exist."

"What about the Adephagos?"

Yuri frowned. "That wasn't a squid. Well… not exactly. More of an octopus, really."

Repede barked and stood up. Yuri looked down at him. "What's up, Repede?"

Repede sniffed the air and then looked toward the stairs that led up to the public quarter. Yuri shifted around just in time to see a flash of pink sprinting toward them.

"Look, look!" Ted said, jumping up and putting his book away. "It's Princess Estellise!"

"Oh, great," Yuri said. "I hope she hasn't brought a new book for you."

A minute later, Estelle reached the fountain. Throughout the square, all eyes were on her, as they always were when the princess deigned to visit the lower quarter. Estelle always seemed happily oblivious to how much commotion her visits brought. From her point of view, she was just stopping by to visit her best friend, not breaking social barriers and making a political statement of solidarity with the lower classes.

"Yuri!" she said as soon as she was close enough to be heard.

Ted jump down from the fountain before Yuri could talk. "Hello, Princess Estellise!"

Estelle paused to look down at him with a smile. "Oh, hello, Ted! How are you enjoying that book I gave you?"

"It's really great!" Ted said.

Yuri snorted. "He's enjoying it a little too much, if you ask me."

Estelle gave Yuri a warning look, and then turned back to Ted. "I'm glad you like it. I used to love that book when I was your age. Ted, would you mind running home for a little bit? I need to talk to Yuri about something."

Ted bobbed his head. "Whatever you say, your highness! Bye, Yuri." He waved quickly, snatched his book off the ground, and then ran off.

"What's this about?" Yuri asked, looking up at Estelle.

Estelle frowned tightly and then slumped down next to Yuri. "Oh, Yuri, something terrible has happened. Count Borden was murdered."

Yuri thought about this for a few seconds, running through everything Flynn had ever told him about Borden. "Ok… I'm not seeing the terrible part yet."

"They've arrested Flynn as the culprit!"

Yuri laughed out loud at this. The very idea of Flynn murdering someone was so absurd it was hilarious.

"Yuri! Stop laughing, this is serious."

He saw the concern on Estelle's face, and quieted down. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yes! They arrested him this morning. I just came from his interrogation, and Yuri, they have a lot of evidence."

"But… he's _Flynn_. I stole silverware from a restaurant once and slipped it in his bag, and then he was up all night pacing around the room, wracked with guilt. They seriously think he could have murdered someone?"

"I know, it's so ridiculous," Estelle said. "But they have a lot of evidence against him and it doesn't look good. What should we do?"

"Let's start by talking to him," Yuri said. "This is probably some giant misunderstanding or something." He stood up, and offered Estelle his hand to help her up as well. "Hey, Repede, go back home for now. I need to check something out at the castle."

Repede barked, and then trotted off to Yuri's room. Yuri and Estelle took off in the other direction, heading toward the castle.

As they walked, Yuri asked, "How could Flynn even get arrested? He's the commandant. Can't he just order the knights to let him go?"

"No," Estelle said, shaking her head. "The commandant is not above the law. Actually, one of the first things Flynn did when he took office was to clarify the rules about how the commandant could be questioned and arrested just like any other citizen. After Alexei, he didn't want any commandant in the future to think they were above the law."

"I suppose that makes sense. Still, it's pretty weird that he got arrested by his own subordinates."

They walked right past the guards when they reached the castle, which was a benefit of travelling with the princess. Estelle led the way toward the dungeons, although Yuri knew the route quite well. He'd probably spent more time down there than Estelle had, after all. They were once again waved past the guards and then walked down the steps to the cells. It was kind of nice, and unfamiliar to Yuri, to be coming down here as a visitor and not a convict.

Flynn sat on the bed in the first cell on the left. He raised his head when he heard them approach, but he didn't smile the way he usually did when he saw them.

"Oh, Flynn, this is terrible," Estelle said, stopping in front of the bars. "Are they treating you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Flynn said, getting up and walking to the bars. "I'm certain I'm the best taken care of prisoner in the capital."

"I bet it helps that all your guards work for you," Yuri said.

"Yeah, that probably contributes," Flynn said.

"How do you feel?" Estelle asked.

"Honestly, I'm still in shock," Flynn said. "This whole situation feels unreal."

"Tell me about it," Yuri said. "Never thought I'd see you behind bars again." Yuri laughed a bit and added, "Maybe after a couple of days of jail food you'll stop giving me a hard time about complaining about it. I swear, they must have taken lessons from you."

Neither Estelle nor Flynn found this funny. Yuri dropped his grin and looked between them. "What's with the sour looks?"

"This isn't a joke, Yuri," Estelle said. "Flynn is really in trouble."

"Well… yeah," Yuri said, "but it's going to blow over pretty easily. I mean, he's _Flynn_. You'd have to be insane to honestly think he could be involved in this." Estelle and Flynn both seemed pretty worried, but they were the sort to worry over everything. As far as Yuri was concerned, Flynn's arrest was at worst a mild inconvenience and at best something Yuri would be able to tease him about for years. Surely no one _actually_ thought Flynn could be the culprit.

"Yuri…" Estelle said, "Flynn is on trial for murder. If he's found guilty, then - then he'll…"

"Be executed," Flynn finished grimly.

Yuri looked between their two dark expressions, his mood quickly dropping. "Wait… you guys are serious about this? But, come on, there's no way they'll find him guilty."

Flynn sighed. "It doesn't look good. There's a lot of evidence against me, and I have nothing in my defence."

"This 'evidence' has got to be planted, right?" Yuri said. It was the only explanation that made sense.

"Probably," Flynn said.

There was something about the way he said it that bothered Yuri, like Flynn wasn't entirely convinced that the evidence was planted. Yuri didn't know how that could even be a question. He didn't know what Flynn was thinking, but Yuri could guess that he was being an idiot again somehow.

"If it is," Flynn continued, "I have no way of proving that. If I can't prove who actually murdered Borden, I don't see any way I won't be found guilty."

"But you're innocent," Yuri said.

"Right," Flynn said. There was that hint of doubt again. "But we have no proof of that. There is, however, 'proof' that I'm guilty."

"This is bullshit!" Suddenly, Flynn getting arrested didn't seem so funny. It was just… this whole thing was ridiculous. Flynn would never murder someone; anyone who had ever met him should know that. He was so obviously being framed that this shouldn't even be an issue.

"Alright," Estelle said. "Your trial is in a month. That means we have a month to catch the real killer. Once we do that, you'll be exonerated and everything will be fine."

"What's the likelihood of the knights catching the real culprit?" Yuri asked Flynn.

Flynn frowned. "Considering they already have their chief suspect, I doubt very many resources will be expended to find someone else."

"But you're the commandant," Yuri said. "Can't you order them to investigate more closely?"

"Flynn doesn't have any power at the moment," Estelle explained. Speaking as if reciting a text book verbatim, she said "If the commandant is implicated in a crime, he's stripped of his authority for the duration of the case and to be treated like any other suspect. While the commandant is a suspect, the Knights come under the direct authority of the Council. If he's found innocent, he'll be re-instated and provided financial compensation for his lost time. If he's found guilty, a new commandant will be chosen and the former commandant will be subject to the punishment decided by a judge."

"That is correct," Flynn said. "And unfortunately for me, the majority of the Council is not overly concerned with my well-being, so I doubt they'll be ordering the Knights to do a thorough investigation. I dare say many of them are enjoying this."

"So… what?" Yuri said. "You're going to sit in jail for month and wait for a trial to inevitably find you guilty?"

"I _can't_ do anything else, Yuri," Flynn said. "You heard Estellise - I've been stripped of all power and authority. I can't very well order a murder investigation from a cell."

"Damn," Yuri said. "Fine. You stay here. I'll take care of this."

Flynn looked at him in confusion. "You'll take care of what?"

"The murder investigation. I'll track down the guy who really did it, and then drag his sorry ass back here to take your place on trial."

"Yuri," Flynn said, "you don't know the first thing about conducting an investigation."

"Hey, I tracked down the aque blastia, didn't I? How much more difficult can this be?"

"I'll help, too," Estelle said. "Don't you worry, Flynn. We'll find the real killer."

"Yeah," Yuri said. "After all the crap we went through last year, tracking down one single murderer should be easy. You'll be out of here in no time."

Flynn smiled, a spark of hope returning to his eyes. "Thanks, you two. I know you won't let me down."

"Right," Yuri said. "Come on, Estelle, we've got a murder to solve."

* * *

Yuri appreciated Estelle's willingness to help, but he thought they might be able to do it without the hat. They stood in front of Borden's mansion, and while waiting for someone to answer the door he asked, "So… what's with the hat?"

Estelle reached up and straightened it on her head. "It's a detective hat. I read about it in books."

"It looks like a deerstalker to me," Yuri said. "You know guys wear those while hunting, right?"

"Right, and I'm hunting for clues. I'm pretty sure that's the correlation."

Yuri sighed, but the door opened before he could respond. An elderly butler stood before them. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Yuri said. "We'd like to ask some questions about Count Borden."

"We've already spoken to the knights," the butler said. "If you're journalists, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Please, wait," Estelle said, catching the door as he started to close it. "This is important."

The butler glared at her, but then his eyes went wide and he said, "Oh! Lady Estellise! Forgive me, I didn't recognize you. Please, come in."

"Thanks," Yuri said. "We'd like to see the crime scene."

The butler looked to Estelle for confirmation, and then led the way after she nodded. The house was so quiet it was deafening. Servants stared at them as they passed, before returning to talking with each other in hushed tones. The butler led them upstairs to Borden's bedroom, but stopped in front of the partially open door. "The knights removed the body this morning," he said. "But the carpet is still… unpleasant. Lady Estellise, perhaps you might not want to-"

"I'm going in," Estelle said.

The butler frowned, but said, "If you insist. Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah," Yuri said, "could you ask the maid who's the witness to come talk to us?"

"Of course. Take your time." He bowed curtly, and then hurried away.

Yuri wasted no more time in pushing the door open and heading inside. The first thing he saw was a large dark stain on the cream-coloured carpet at the foot of the bed. The window was open, and the curtains flapped in the gentle breeze. Yuri looked around the room, although he wasn't sure what he hoped to find. Knights did police investigations as well as fight monsters, but Yuri's brigade had never done anything like that during his short time in the knights so he didn't actually have any idea how to conduct an investigation.

"Do you see anything… suspicious?" he asked Estelle.

"Um… I'm not really sure what we're looking for. But, I think we should look into the butler."

"The… butler?" Yuri asked, glancing at the door in case he had come back. "Why him?" Yuri hadn't noticed anything suspicious, but maybe Estelle was more observant?

"Well, it's just, in books, it's always the butler!" Estelle said. "The butler should always be a suspect."

"Uh… right," Yuri said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Yuri walked around the room, trying to figure out what the knights might have missed. However, there didn't seem to be anything else in the room related to the murder. But he _knew_ Flynn wasn't the killer, so there had to be something else here. It had to be right under his nose; he just wasn't seeing it.

There was a knock at the door, and then a maid stepped in. "Um, excuse me, you wanted to see me?" She took great care to keep her eyes away from the blood on the floor.

"Yes," Estelle said. "Are you the maid who witnessed the killer escaping?"

She nodded, and then curtsied. "Yes, my lady. My name is Louise Shipton, and I was cleaning the floors outside Count Borden's bedroom when I heard a crash. There was a thud and a shout, and then I stepped inside and saw the killer escaping through the window."

"And did you get a good look at him?" Yuri asked.

Louise shook her head. "No. As I told the knights, it was dark and I couldn't see him clearly. From what I could see, though, he seemed to look an awful lot like the commandant. But, that's impossible."

 _Damn right it's impossible_ , Yuri thought.

"Um, Miss Shipton," Estelle said, "did Count Borden have any enemies that you know of?"

Louise stared at her, obviously wondering why she'd ask such an obvious question. "Of course. There were plenty of other nobles who didn't like him, and many commoners who resented things he'd done. The commandant was pretty angry with him yesterday, too, I'm told."

"Can you think of anyone specific?" Yuri asked, and then added, "anyone other than the commandant?"

Louise thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Estelle said. "Thank you very much for talking to us."

"Of course, my lady," Louise said. She curtsied again, and then hurried out of the room.

Yuri stared down at the bloodstain, deep in thought. There had to be a clue here, but he couldn't see it. Estelle came over and stood next to him. She reached out and lightly squeezed his hand. "We'll figure it out."

"Do you think the murderer's intention was primarily to kill Borden, or primarily to frame Flynn?" Yuri asked.

Estelle looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if they wanted to kill Borden, then we need to focus on looking for someone with a grudge against Borden who wanted him dead, and then framed Flynn to protect themselves. But if this is primarily about Flynn, we're looking for someone with a grudge against Flynn, who chose to kill Borden because everyone knows Flynn had a grudge against him. We need to figure out if we should focus our investigation on Borden's enemies or Flynn's."

"Oh, you're right…" Estelle frowned, thinking hard. "I'm not sure. At least, we know the murderer looks a bit like Flynn. So, we can narrow our suspects down to people have short, sort of spiky blond hair."

"That's pretty vague," Yuri said. "And hair is easy to dye."

"I suppose that's true. Hm… I don't know. In my books, the detectives always went to the crime scene and then walked away with lots of clues to analyze. But, all we have are the same planted clues that the knights have, and all of them point to Flynn."

"Yeah. I don't know what else we're supposed to do. Let's go back and talk to Flynn." Unlike him, Flynn had actually stuck around in the knights long enough to have training in this area.

* * *

Estelle had abandoned her hat before they went down to meet Flynn. When they walked in, they found Flynn sitting at a small table that had been set up in his cell, eating a piece of ham. Yuri sniffed the air as he approached the cell, and then said, "What the hell is that?"

Flynn put down his knife and fork and swallowed. "Lunch."

" _That_ is what they're giving you for lunch? Man, why am I even surprised? A murderer gets better treatment in jail than someone in on petty theft, just because he's got a title."

Flynn frowned. "First of all, I'm not convicted of anything yet. Besides, it's not because I'm rich, it's because all of my jailers work for me," Flynn said. "This situation is quite confusing for everyone, but none of the knights are going to give their commandant the standard prison food."

"You lucky bastard," Yuri said.

Flynn stood up and walked to the bars. "Did you find anything?" he asked hopefully.

Seeing Flynn's expression made Yuri feel a bit bad about calling him a lucky bastard. He certainly wasn't the lucky one here if he was in jail. He hated having to crush Flynn's hopes when he shook his head. "I don't know. Nothing the knights didn't already see. We didn't really know what we were looking for."

"Hm…" Flynn rubbed his chin. "Describe the scene to me."

"The murder took place in Borden's bedroom," Estelle said. "His window was left open, and that's where the murderer escaped. There was a big bloodstain on the carpet at the foot of the bed. We spoke to a maid, she said she heard a crash and a shout and a thud, and then came in just in time to see the murderer slip out the window as Borden died of a knife wound to the throat."

Flynn nodded slowly. "I see… I don't suppose you could draw the bloodstain? No, there's no way you'd be able to do it accurately enough from memory…"

"Why do you want to know what the bloodstain looks like?" Yuri asked.

"It can sometimes help," Flynn said. "Based on the size and shape of the blood splatter, it can tell you the height of the attacker relative to the victim. For example, if the murderer appears to be shorter than me, it could work in my defence."

"You can do that?" Yuri asked.

"I can't myself," Flynn said. "But I know people who can. There's a lot of math involved. But, it's a fairly complicated and not entirely reliable method, so I doubt they'd call in the experts if they already have a suspect. What I'm more interested in is that the blood was at the foot of the bed."

"What do you mean?" Estelle asked. "That's where Borden died, so that's where the blood is."

"Right," Flynn said, "but the murderer snuck in through the window and slit his throat. You said the maid overheard sounds of a crash and shout? Well, it seems to me that if you were going to sneak into someone's room to murder them, you'd creep up to them and kill them in bed."

"Maybe he did," Yuri said, "but Borden wasn't killed instantly and went after him?"

"Could be," Flynn said, "but if he'd already been injured, there were be a trail of blood from the bed to the floor where he died, wouldn't there?"

"Oh, that makes sense," Estelle said.

"It looks to me like the killer didn't want to kill him silently in bed," Flynn said. "He gave Borden a chance to wake up and make a commotion before killing him, and then slipped out the window only after the maid poked her head in."

"So… he was an idiot, then?" Yuri said.

Flynn shook his head. "No, it tells me that he _wanted_ to be seen. I don't think his physical resemblance to me is a coincidence. He wanted to make sure a witness would see him so that someone could place me at the crime scene. What this means is that this is most likely the work of a hired assassin. Someone went out of their way to find an assassin who could pass as me and hired him to carry out the murder."

"So you were the target all along," Yuri said. "This isn't about Borden, it's about you."

Flynn nodded. "At least, that's what it looks like to me."

A thought snuck into Yuri's head. Flynn probably wasn't going to like it, but if he ever let Flynn's disapproval keep him from doing stuff, he'd never do anything. "Flynn… this isn't working."

"What isn't working?" Flynn asked.

"This," Yuri said, gesturing at the bars between them. "Estelle and I don't know what we're doing. We don't know what we're looking for or what might be a clue or what questions to ask witnesses. But _you_ know this stuff."

"We're doing our best, Yuri," Estelle said.

"But out best isn't good enough," Yuri said. "If our best isn't enough to get Flynn exonerated, then what good is it?"

Flynn frowned. "I know this isn't ideal, but what other choice do we have?"

"I need you, Flynn," Yuri said. "If anyone can solve this case, it's you. You're not doing yourself any favours by sitting here and hoping we bring you the right evidence."

Flynn could tell what Yuri was implying, and as Yuri suspected, he didn't like it. "Yuri, breaking out of prison won't help me look innocent."

"Sitting here and having no evidence to defend yourself with also won't make you look innocent." Yuri knew it was risky even as he suggested it, but he didn't see any other option. If Flynn stayed in jail patiently awaiting his trail, he would most likely be found guilty and then… Yuri didn't even want to think about that. If he broke out of prison with Yuri and helped him solve the case, the charges of murder would be dropped and all he'd be in trouble for was the jail break, which carried a significantly lower chance of execution.

"I don't know, Yuri…" Estelle bit her lip, looking nervously between the two of them. "That's awfully risky. If Flynn gets caught, he'll be in even more trouble than he was before."

"But if Flynn doesn't help us solve this case," Yuri said, "then it won't matter how well he behaved himself in prison because he'll be dead."

In the long silence, Yuri looked back and forth between them, daring them to contradict what he'd said. Finally, Flynn said, "Yuri is right. I don't want to sit here idly awaiting execution. All we have to do is catch the real killer before the trial and everything will be alright."

"Exactly!" Yuri said. He didn't mention it, but there was also the fact that if they didn't catch the killer, at least Flynn wouldn't be in the knights' custody anymore. They couldn't execute him if he was on the run. It might mean spending the rest of his life a fugitive hiding out with Flynn, but if it kept Flynn alive, he'd do it. "I'll come back tonight," Yuri said.

"Alright." Flynn nodded once. "But Yuri… we have to be back by the end of the month. We need to be back in time for my trial."

"So eager to sit and be judged, huh?"

"It's not that, Yuri," Estelle said nervously. "It's just, if Flynn misses his trial, well…"

"I'll be found guilty by default," Flynn said. "That's how it works. If we show up in Zaphias a day later with all the evidence in the world, it won't matter because I'll already have been declared guilty of murder."

"Oh, damn," Yuri said. That was a bit more pressure than he'd been expecting. "Alright, fine. We have an entire month. I'm sure we'll figure this out. I'll be back later tonight to get you out, ok?"

"Got it. See you later."

Damn. Damn it all to hell. It would probably be best that Flynn was with him, because when he found the bastard that planned this, Flynn was going to have to hold him back to keep him from murdering the asshole before he even had a chance to confess.

* * *

It was a lot easier to sneak into the castle when you had someone on the inside to help. Yuri crouched in the shadows by the main gate, waiting for his chance to sneak past the guards. It came right on cue, when the front doors opened and Estelle ran out with a shriek.

"Lady Estellise!" one guard yelled. "What's wrong!?"

"I need your help!" Estelle. "I was passing through the main entrance and I saw an intruder!"

"W-what?" the other knight said. "But, we didn't see anyone get in."

"Please, you must come quickly! I'm sure I saw someone. I won't be able to go to sleep tonight until you catch him!"

"Of course, right away, Lady Estellise," the first knight said. She ran back inside, followed by the knights, leaving the entrance open.

Yuri grinned. She'd learned a lot from their time moonlighting as actors in Nam Cobanda Isle. He waited long enough for Estelle to have moved the knights away from the main entrance ("Look, over there! I'm certain I just saw someone run down that hallway!") and then slipped through the front doors. He heard Estelle and the knights down the left corridor, so he made his way right and hurried in the direction of the jail. Thanks to all his time down there, he had no problems finding it.

There was no guard on duty at the front desk. Yuri attributed this to Estelle, as well. She'd probably come running down here and gotten him dragged into the quest for the mysterious intruder before running off to the front gate to let Yuri in. He'd have to remember to have a princess on the inside every time he wanted to break into somewhere. All he had to do was rifle around in the drawer for a few second to find the keys, and then he hurried down the hall to find Flynn.

Flynn jumped up from the bed when he saw him. "Well?"

"Let's get you out of here." He unlocked the door. "The guards are all distracted. Estelle's got them running around chasing no one, so we can slip out through the front door."

"Alright. Let's not waste any time."

They walked back down the hall, but Flynn paused at the entrance to head for the cupboards.

Yuri grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Getting my things," Flynn said obviously.

"What, you're going to sneak around in your bright clanking armour?"

Flynn hesitated. "Well…"

"We're going to be undercover for a little while now. You can't walk around in your knight uniform and expect no one to recognize you."

Flynn sighed. "You're right. Ok, let's move on."

They strode quickly through the silent halls of the capital. Yuri was on edge, alert for any sign of guards coming. He wasn't usually so tense when sneaking around, but now he had Flynn to worry about. The prospect of Flynn getting caught, and his break-out used as a sign of guilt, worried him far more than his own wellbeing. Being on the lookout for any sign of guards turned out to be a blessing, because Flynn was about to round the corner into the main entrance hall when Yuri heard footsteps and yanked him back.

"As you can see, Lady Estellise," Captain Peel said, "it does not appear that there are any intruders in the castle."

"Oh, hm, but maybe you should keep looking?" Estelle said.

"I fear that would be a waste of resources, Your Highness. Are you certain you didn't wake up from a dream after reading an exciting book?"

"I suppose… maybe…" Estelle said.

The voices were getting closer. Shit, they were going to come around this corner any second now. Yuri risked sneaking a glance around the pillar set into the arched doorway. The knights had returned with Peel to take up their posts at the front door. Peel was looking at Estelle, but she was looking forward and met Yuri's eyes for a millisecond.

"Oh, Captain Peel!" Estelle suddenly said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a halt. "You're right, I probably was just imaging it, but I still feel slightly on edge. If it isn't too much trouble, could you escort me back to my room? I would feel so much safer with a knight."

"Of course, Your Highness," Peel said.

"Thank you," Estelle said, pulling him away from the corridor Yuri and Flynn were hiding in. "I suppose I'm just on edge today after everything that happened with Count Borden and Flynn."

"Completely understandable," Peel said. "That our trusted commandant could do something like this… it hurts the heart. It really makes one wonder who we can trust if even the great Flynn Scifo could stoop so low. After this and what happened with Alexei, I should hope the Council has learned its lesson about allowing commoners to become the commandant."

Estelle was clearly holding in her anger as she said, "Flynn hasn't been convicted yet. We don't know for sure that it was him."

"Right, of course," Peel said. "It's probably only a matter of time, though. I wonder, your highness, if, with your connections to the Council, you might have an idea of who they're planning on promoting to replace him?"

"No, I haven't asked. I wouldn't get your hopes up, though," she said in irritation. "No one is going to replace him because once the real killer is caught, he'll be completely exonerated."

"Yes, we can only hope that turns out to be true," Peel said.

The footsteps faded away and Yuri couldn't make out what they were saying anymore as they travelled away from the hall. He let out a breath, and turned to Flynn. Flynn wore an angry scowl and it seemed to take all his self-control not to fly into the hall and start a fight with Peel here and now. "That bastard," Flynn hissed. "It's only been one day and he's already trying to edge favour with Lady Estellise in hopes of getting my job. I ought to deploy him to Mantaic and see how he likes manning an outpost in the desert."

Yuri laughed a bit. "Yeah, I'd like to kick his ass too, but we've got a bigger problem. The knights are back at the front door, so we're going to have to take a different way out."

"Where?"

"Don't worry, I know a secret exit." He led Flynn away from the main entrance. It would take a bit of backtracking to reach the statue of the goddess, but once they got there they could sneak out pretty easily. Damn, if only Peel hadn't shown up and returned all the knights to their positions.

"Where are we going?" Flynn asked as Yuri led him down a flight of stairs.

"Just trust me, will you?" He wondered if the designers of the castle had made the hallways so slick and stone on purpose so that intruder's footsteps could be heard. It was impossible to sneak silently when every step echoed down the hall. Every minute their odds of getting caught increased, and then this whole gamble would blow up in their faces. Flynn would get busted for breaking out, and he wouldn't even have a chance to contribute to the case.

Yuri practically sighed in relief when they emerged in the square room with the statue of a winged woman on a plinth. "Made it," he said.

Flynn looked around the otherwise-empty room. "What's in here? How will this help?"

"Didn't you hear me say 'trust me'?" Yuri walked up to the statue, dug his fingers into the edges of the plinth, and pulled.

"Here, let me help you," Flynn said, grabbing the edge.

"What, don't think I can handle this by myself?" He pulled it out of the way enough to reveal the opening with a ladder leading down to the sewers.

Flynn crouched at the top of the ladder, peering down. "I had no idea this was here."

"I don't think many people do. Now let's get out of here."

Flynn went down first, with Yuri close behind. At the bottom, he stopped to look around. The sewer hadn't changed since he and Estelle had been here. It was still dark, it was still dank, and it still smelled like a monkey's ass.

"Ugh," Flynn said, wrinkling his nose. "What is that smell."

"Uh, it's a sewer," Yuri said. "I'll let you piece it together."

"Now I see why nobody uses this exit."

"Sorry if it's too gross for the fancy commandant," Yuri said. "You're welcome to go out the main entrance, but I'm going home."

He started walking, and sure enough, Flynn hurried to keep up. "I didn't mean I wouldn't come with you. How do you know about this place, anyway?"

"Estelle and I used it way back when she first left the castle. We actually have Raven to thank for knowing about this, but don't tell him that." They walked down the stone steps and along the walkways. The sound of running water was everywhere, but thankfully the stone walkways kept them well out of the sludge.

Flynn grabbed his arm and paused. "Did you see something moving ahead of us?"

"Huh?" Yuri stared, trying to make out shadows in the dim light. He heard tiny clicks and saw a flash of movement, but shrugged it off. "Just a rat."

"Oh." Flynn didn't sound pacified.

"Oh, that's right," Yuri said as they started walking again. "You're afraid of rats."

"I am not afraid of rats," Flynn said stubbornly.

"Yeah, I always jump and shriek like a little girl around things I'm not afraid of, either."

"Yuri! I was eight. It was in my bed. You would have freaked out, too."

Yuri was pretty sure he would have. Finding rats in your house was a pretty regular occurrence in the lower quarter, although finding them crawling around under your sheets just as you were about to go to bed was a bit rarer. Yuri could hardly blame Flynn for freaking out, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to hold it over his head for the rest of his life as prime teasing fuel.

"Rats are filthy," Flynn said. Yuri could practically hear his angry scowl even in the darkness. "They spread disease and they steal food. They crawl up from the sewers covered in filth, and their tails wriggle around like worms, and they have those dark soulless eyes…" His speech on the problems with rants was turning more and more into a personal rant. "And did you know there's an old torture technique where a hot cage is placed over a rat on a man's stomach and the rat tries to escape by burrowing into the victim? They're disgusting."

In the darkness, Yuri reached his hand around, stuck it under the hem of Flynn's shirt, and then tickled his fingers up Flynn's back. "Uh-oh, Flynn, I think there's a rat on you!"

Flynn bolted into the air in a flurry of flailing arms and legs. When he landed, he realized what Yuri had done and promptly shoved him. "Dammit, Yuri!"

Yuri laughed, loud enough that it echoed off the high stone arches.

"That wasn't funny," Flynn protested.

Yuri only wished the light was bright enough to see his disgruntled expression. "Yeah, it was."

"You think you're so funny," Flynn said, marching ahead.

Yuri waited a few second to stifle his laughter before following. Flynn was a few feet ahead when Yuri saw another flash of movement as a rat scurried across the path, stepping on Flynn's toes as it went. Flynn yelped and jumped backward, which set Yuri's laughter off again.

"It's not funny, Yuri," Flynn said.

"Geeze, Flynn, it's just a rat."

"I'm not sure that was a rat. It more closely resembled a small dog."

"Don't worry, Flynn," Yuri said, patting his shoulder. "I'll protect you from the scary rodent."

Flynn brushed him off. "Shut up, Yuri."

"Did Ted ever tell you about this massive rat combination thing?"

"What? Wait, don't tell me, I don't think I'm going to like it."

"Apparently, when a lot of rats get together they can get their tails all knotted together with grime and knots and then they move as one massive rat monster." He held out his hands and wiggled his fingers in Flynn's face like a bunch of rat tails. "Conditions down in this sewer are probably perfect for making those things."

"Stop it, Yuri," Flynn said.

"What's wrong? Thought you weren't scared of rats?" Yuri hopped down a few more steps, while Flynn took them one at a time.

"You're impossible," Flynn said.

They turned a corner and then down another short set of stairs. Yuri leapt down them, landed in a puddle, and pinwheeled his arms as he fell forward. Flynn grabbed the back of his shirt, but only managed to get dragged down with him. Yuri hit the ground with a splash, and Flynn landed right on top of him with a grunt. Flynn then rolled over onto his back. He groaned, "Please tell me what I'm lying in is just water."

"I'm about eighty percent sure it is," Yuri said, getting up on his hands and knees.

"And the other twenty percent?"

"You don't want to know." Yuri reached down to help him up, but paused. "Hey, uh, Flynn? Do yourself a favour and don't turn your head to the right."

"What? Why?" He turned his head to the right, and came eye to eye with rat that was about the size of a cat. He shouted, scrambling to get away from it as fast as he could. He splashed in the hopefully-water, and accidentally smacked the rat with his hand in his rush to get away.

"What the hell did I just say!?" Yuri said.

Flynn leapt to his feet, holding his right hand out from his body. "I touched it. Ugh, I need to wash my hand."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Stop being so over dramatic."

"Do you have any idea how many diseases those things can carry?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure you're about to tell me. Look, we're almost through." He pointed at the ladder ahead. "So just hold yourself together for another minute, you scaredy-cat."

"I am not a-" Flynn cut himself off, apparently deciding that there was no way to say that without sounding like a pouting child. He sighed and said, "Drop it, Yuri. I can't believe you took Lady Estellise through this place."

"She complained less than you," Yuri said. "Seriously, Flynn, I've seen you face monsters three times your size without breaking a sweat, and now you're all bent out of shape over a rat?" He hopped onto a crate blocking the way and swung his legs around the other side.

"I just don't like rats, alright? It's not that big a deal."

"Whatever you say. Here, you can go out first." He stepped aside and gave Flynn access to the ladder. "Wouldn't want you left all alone down here with the scary rats."

"Har-har," Flynn said, and started climbing up.

When his legs were about level with Yuri's face, Yuri reached out, slipped his hand under the hem of Flynn's pant leg, and tickled his ankle. "Rawr, it's a rat!"

Flynn kicked him in the face.

"Ow!" Yuri pulled his hand away to massage his sore cheek. "You didn't have to kick me!"

"Idiot," Flynn grumbled, and continued up the ladder.

Yuri followed, and a couple of minutes later they stood side by side in a dark garden in the royal quarter. Yuri took a deep breath, enjoying the clear air. "Man, that place sure hasn't gotten any better since last time."

"But, at least we're out," Flynn said.

"Yeah," Yuri said. "Prison bars don't suit you."

"I don't think so, either. Where are we going now?"

"Let's go back to my place in the lower quarter and figure out where we're going from there."

"Alright."

* * *

They made their way through the city as quickly and quietly as they could. No one was looking for them yet, but Flynn was one of the best known people in Zaphias and everyone had heard of his arrest by now. They didn't talk much as they went, not wanting to attract any attention. They didn't need to talk to coordinate which shadows they were running to or when so make the next dart across the street. They'd been together long enough that these things just came naturally.

Flynn didn't let himself relax until they reached the lower quarter. Even if they were seen here, none of their people would report them. They quickly passed the still-under-construction fountain, hurried down the street and then up the stairs to Yuri's room. As soon as they were inside, Flynn went to Yuri's bed and fell onto it with a sigh of relief. "We made it." The bed was far from soft, but after spending the day in jail, he couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else. "We probably can't stay here very long, though," he added reluctantly. He didn't know how Yuri handled being a fugitive so easily. The very thought that there were knights looking for him made him anxious and paranoid. It had been like this since they were kids - Yuri treated laws like suggestions, while Flynn squirmed with stress at the very thought of trespassing.

"Yeah," Yuri said, crossing the room to look out the window. "Once they notice you're gone, they'll probably suspect me right away."

Flynn rolled over on his side to face Yuri. "Where are we going from here?"

Yuri didn't both looking away from the window as he shrugged. "Up to you. You're the one who knows how to investigate this kind of thing."

"Hm… I don't think we should stay in Zaphias," Flynn said. "I'm too recognizable. Along that line, I doubt the killer remained in Zaphias, either. If he looks a lot like me, he might attract too much attention." Assuming, of course, that _he_ wasn't the killer. He still wasn't entirely sure about that, though he couldn't bring himself to say these fears out loud.

"Alright, what exactly are we looking for?" Yuri walked to the bed, pushed Flynn's legs out of the way, and sat down one the edge. "How are we going to catch this guy?"

"You're looking at it the wrong way," Flynn said, crossing his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. "All the clues about the killer point at me. We need to focus on who hired the assassin to figure out who framed me." Please, oh please let them find concrete evidence that it was an assassin and not a sleepwalking Flynn.

"Ok, so let's start with your enemies. Is there anyone who doesn't like you?"

Flynn stifled a laugh. "Unfortunately, that's a rather long list."

"I thought you were Mister Popular?" Yuri said.

"That doesn't extend to the nobility. A good percentage of them think I must have pulled some strings and cheated my way to a promotion to have gotten this rank with my age and, well, background."

"Those assholes. I can't believe people still give you grief about that."

"His Majesty Ioder and I are trying to work toward a future where your worth isn't based on what titles your parents held, but that is still a long way off."

"Ugh," Yuri said. "So what you're saying is, it could be anybody?"

Flynn sighed. "The list of possible suspects is certainly lengthy. It includes a good portion of the Council, a handful of the knight captains, and a variety of other nobles."

"Damn. Where do we even start? Do we interrogate every one, or what?"

"We do have some clues. Get me a pen and some paper, will you?"

"Uh… pen and paper…" Yuri got up and stared around his little room.

"You _do_ have basic writing supplies, don't you?"

"Yeah!" he said angrily, stomping over to the table. "Somewhere."

Flynn watched him open a drawer and rustle around in it. He pulled out a piece of paper, saw that it was covered in writing, and tossed it back. Flynn tried not to get irritated with him as he watched this. They didn't live together any more, this was Yuri's house, and he had every right to live the way he wanted to… but dammit, why was he such a slob? He never put his crap away properly. Flynn stood up and said, "Can I help you?"

"I got it…" Yuri muttered, still digging through the drawer.

Flynn sighed and sat down at the rickety old table by the window. As much as he enjoyed Yuri's company, there were certain things he didn't miss about living together. When Yuri finally turned around triumphantly and handed Flynn a paper and pencil, he said, "I swear, Yuri, you are the most disorganized person I have ever met." He looked down at it and saw that it was already covered in writing said, "What is _Murder on the Yurzorea Express_?"

"I don't know," Yuri said. "Some book Estelle wants me to read."

He scanned the rest of the paper. It appeared to be a list of book titles. He wondered if Estelle really expected Yuri to read any of these. Flynn didn't think Yuri had picked up a book for leisurely reading since the book had been more pictures than words. "Sounds like a detective book."

"Bit ironic, isn't it?" Yuri said. "Writing out the suspects of our own murder mystery on the same paper?"

"No, that isn't irony," Flynn said. "It's just a coincidence. Irony is when there is a reversal of-"

"I stopped caring about a sentence ago, you know."

"Fine. Let's go over what we know." Flynn tapped the pencil on the table as he talked. "The crime was committed with my knife. I know I had it when I left my room in the early afternoon, but it was missing when I got home. All I did was have a quick meeting with some of the captains that are in Zaphias and then I went to the Council meeting. Somebody must have stolen it during that window. Whoever stole my knife then met up with the assassin they hired and gave it to him to use as the murder weapon." That, or he'd grabbed it off his desk on his way out last night and then mistakenly left it behind in Borden's mansion. Dammit, he didn't want to think about that option. "Additionally, my shirt was found with bloodstains. Possibly stolen out of the laundry after a maid took it. Whoever did this must also have access to my laundry. Several nobles live in the castle and the same maids take care of many people's laundry, so it would be easy to swipe one of my shirts when she was dropping of theirs."

"So… have you narrowed it down to anyone?"

"I'm thinking." Flynn started writing names down on in three columns. Yuri sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him to finish. After several minutes of mad scribbling, he sat and stared at the columns in silent contemplation.

After a minute of this, Yuri said, "Are you going to tell me what you wrote?"

Flynn hesitated, and then turned around with the list. "The first column is a list of all the people I could think of who dislike me. The second is a list of all the people I interacted with yesterday that might have had a chance to swipe my knife. The third is a list of nobles who live on the same floor of the castle as me and who might have been able to steal one of my shirts. I was hoping that I could narrow the search down by finding only a couple of people on all three lists."

"And?"

" _Nobody_ is on all three lists."

"Oh. Damn. Lemme see that." He snatched it out of Flynn's hand and scanned over the list of names. "Lots of people are on the first two, though."

"I know," Flynn said. "The third is the shortest, and I was really hoping I'd find someone who fit all three criteria. We're left with a rather lengthy list of people I know hate me and who might have had a chance to steal my knife. I suppose it's a start."

"So, who are all these people? I'm not really up-to-date on exactly who every member of the nobility is."

"Well, there's Hallward," Flynn said, taking the paper back. "He tried to get me impeached a couple of months ago, and he lives on the same floor of the castle, so he'd have access to my laundry. But, I didn't seem him at all yesterday. He wasn't at the Council meeting so I don't know how he would have gotten his hands on my knife."

"What did he accuse you of to get you impeached?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Treason. He claimed maintaining a close relationship with a member of a guild meant I was sympathetic to the guilds and not the empire."

"You almost lost your job for being friends with me?"

Flynn glanced up from the paper to see Yuri's frown. He knew Yuri felt unworthy of standing by Flynn's side, and Flynn hated that he felt like that, so he quickly said, "Don't worry, the accusation didn't get very far. Ioder shot him down immediately and even the rest of the Council thought Hallward was reaching."

Yuri's frown didn't entirely disappear. "Still… sorry to cause trouble for you."

Flynn shook his head. "Don't apologize for being my friend. Anyway, another option is Reyes. He doesn't like me very much, and he was at the Council meeting, but he lives in a mansion across town so I don't know how he would have staged the bloodied shirt. The rest of them are all like that - Morell hates me, could have gotten my shirt but not the knife. Joplin wants to see me gone, and she could have gotten the knife, but not the shirt. I'm hesitant to include Emmery, because she looks down on me due to my sub-par math skills, but as far as I know she doesn't have any other gripe with me." He sighed heavily. "I suppose it's a start."

"Yeah, it's something," Yuri said, handing the list back. "Where the hell do we go from here?"

"I think we should focus on catching the assassin," Flynn said. "We don't have any other clues about who hired him, but if we catch him, we might be able to get him to tell us who his employer was." And also find confirmation that Flynn wasn't the killer. He really wanted that confirmation.

Yuri nodded. "Sounds good to me. So… where to?"

Flynn spoke slowly, working things out as he said it. "If he was an assassin… I doubt he's based out of Halure or Capua Nor. The Knights and the empire have too strong a hold there. My best guess is Dahngrest or Capua Torim. In any case, all of those are northwest from here. We'll set out tomorrow and head for Tolbyccia. What time is it now?"

"Uhhh…" Yuri looked out the window. "Looks like it's around midnight."

"That's specific," Flynn said.

Yuri shrugged. "I don't have a clock."

"Yes, you do," Flynn said. "I lent you my pocket watch last week."

"'Lent'?" Yuri said. "You chucked it at my head."

"Because you said we were going to meet at three o'clock, and then you came sauntering over at four-thirty."

Yuri put a hand to the side of his head. "I had a bump on my head for a couple of days thanks to you, you know."

"Good. Hopefully it pounded a sense of time-keeping into you. Anyway, where is my watch? I'd like it back."

"Huh…" Yuri said. He put his hand to his chin and looked around the room. "Now where did that go…"

Flynn tried to hold back an annoyed sigh. "Please don't tell me you lost it."

"I didn't lose it!" Yuri protested immediately. "I could have sworn I left it sitting on the table."

Flynn shook his head. "You are the most disorganized person in the world. Never mind, I'll worry about it when I'm not on trial for murder. I think I'm going to bed now. We should get up early and get out of Zaphias around daybreak."

"That's what I planned. You mind sharing the bed, or is the fancy commandant too pampered to share?"

Flynn gave him an annoyed look, and then said, "No, of course it doesn't bother me." They'd shared a bed since they were kids, because it never seemed worthwhile to buy a second mattress when buying food was a more pressing concern. "Do you have any clothes I could borrow?" All he had was the uniform he'd been wearing when he was arrested. This would obviously attract far too much attention, so hopefully Yuri could lend him some more casual clothes.

"Of course."

It took them less than ten minutes to get ready for bed and then crash to the mattress. "Get off me," Yuri said, shoving him aside.

"Hey, don't push me off the bed," Flynn replied, elbowing him back. "Ugh, I think we got bigger since the last time we slept together."

"Yeah, you got fatter," Yuri said. "You used to be a beanpole. Too many cakes in the castle, Commandant?"

"It's not fat; it's muscle."

"Whatever, it's in the way." Yuri tried to scoot over, but hit the wall.

"You haven't gotten any smaller yourself."

They lay still, giving up on trying to get comfortable. There was only one pillow, but Yuri let Flynn take it.

"Hey, Yuri?" Flynn said quietly.

"Hm?" Yuri had closed his eyes already, trying to get to sleep.

Flynn was silent for a while. "…Thanks. You've put yourself at a lot of risk by breaking me out. I really do appreciate it, even if I gave you a hard time earlier."

Yuri sighed. "Go to sleep, idiot."


	3. Guilty Conscience

"Yuri!" Someone pounded on the door. "Yuri, get up!"

"Ugh…" It was too early for this. Yuri rolled over, and hit another body. What? Oh, right, Flynn. Flynn! They were supposed to leave this morning. He glanced out the window and squinted against the bright sunlight. Damn, he had wanted to be out of Zaphias by now.

The door pounded again. "Yuri!" That was Ted's voice.

Yuri vaulted over Flynn to get up, and then leaned over to shake him awake. "Hey, get your ass out of bed, we need to get moving." He hurried over to the door and opened it, catching Ted with his hand raised, about to knock again.

"Yuri! The knights are looking for you and Flynn. My mom's got the main search group held up by the fountain, but there are knights at every entrance to the city!"

"Damn," Flynn grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his face. "I knew we should have left last night."

"Hanks said he can smuggle you out in his cart, but you gotta go now!"

"Right," Yuri said. He wasted no time in dashing across the room, grabbing a bag, and throwing as much crap as he could into it. Flynn, meanwhile, had already thrown on one of Yuri's spare shirts and tied the laces of his boots. Yuri glanced out the window and saw knights at the end of the street. "Shit. Come on, Flynn, we need to move."

"I'm ready." He followed Yuri to the door.

Yuri was about to leave when Repede barked and stood up. Yuri hesitated, but then shook his head. "Sorry, Repede. We're trying to stay undercover and a dog with a pipe carrying a dagger is a bit noticeable."

Repede growled, but sat back down in understanding.

"Come on, hurry!" Ted said, waving his arm.

"Right. Repede, go to the castle and stay with Estelle if you get lonely. See you later."

Repede barked once, and then Yuri and Flynn left the room. "Where's Hanks?" Flynn asked.

"Down the street, across from the cobbler," Ted said, running down the steps. "I'll show you-"

"Hold on," Flynn said, putting his hand on Ted's shoulder. "We appreciate your help, Ted, but I don't want you to get into trouble with the Knights for helping us. You go find your mom, alright?"

"But-"

"Flynn's right," Yuri said. "We can make it fine from here."

"Well… alright. Good luck, you guys!" Ted gave them one last confident smile, and then ran off toward the fountain.

"Come on," Yuri said, and then darted down the street. The cobbler's shop wasn't too far away; they could make it. They turned a corner and saw Hanks with his cart further down the street. The cart was loaded with sacks of supplies they were shipping to Deidon Hold. Hanks spotted them, and waved his hand, urging them forward. They ran down the street, but Flynn threw up his arm to keep Yuri from running across the intersection. It was a good thing he did, because a quick glance down the street showed Adecor and Boccos walking this way.

Yuri looked around for cover, but there was nothing they could use to get across the street without being spotted. They couldn't very well turn around and go back, because the knights must have reached Yuri's place by now. They didn't have much time. Yuri looked to Flynn, silently asking for advice.

Flynn frowned, glancing up and down the street. He shrugged, looking to Adecor and Boccos worriedly.

Damn, they couldn't get caught by those two bozos. It would be embarrassing! Then he heard a bark, and peeked around the wall to see Adecor and Boccos turning around.

"I say, that's his pooch!" Adecor said, pointing down the street. Repede stood at the end of the street, growling at the knights. He barked once more, and then ran off.

"They must be that way!" Boccos said.

"After them, I say!" They ran after Repede, and Yuri grinned.

"That's my dog," he said.

" _Our_ dog," Flynn corrected as they dashed across the street.

"You don't get credit for Repede," Yuri said. "I'm the one who raised him." They reached Hanks. "Hey, Ted said you can give us a lift," Yuri said.

"Sure can," Hanks said. He hopped onto the bed of the cart and moved some sacks out of the way. Then he crouched and dug his fingers into the wood, and pulled up a hidden panel. "There's a small space down here. It'll be tight, but I think you should both fit."

Yuri laughed. "You have a secret compartment in your cart, old man? Why did you ever need this?"

Hanks laughed a bit and winked. "I may have done some smuggling in my youth, but I'm not going to say anything in front of the commandant!"

Flynn held up his hands. "I have no authority right now. I'm certain that when I'm reinstated I will have acquired freak amnesia about how we got out of the city."

"Glad to hear it, kid. Now get in there, the knights will be here any second."

Yuri hopped in first. The space was indeed pretty small. Yuri stretched his legs out and had to lay flat, the wooden ceiling nearly scraping his nose. He pressed against the wall and tried to give Flynn space to squeeze in next to him.

"Hey, get your hand off my ass," Yuri said.

Flynn shifted to the side. "Sorry. Get your elbow out of my ribs."

"I don't have anywhere else to put my elbow."

"Would you boys quit bickering?" Hanks said, putting the lid of the secret compartment back over them. They were left in darkness, with only faint light filtering through the gaps between the wooden slats. With his face pressed against the wall, Yuri could see a sliver of the world between the side boards of the cart. Hanks walked past, and then the cart started moving.

"Hey… we made it," Yuri said quietly.

"I'm not celebrating until we're out of the city," Flynn replied. He shifted his position again. "Dammit, Yuri, the hilt of your sword is digging into my hip."

"There's really nothing I can do about that," Yuri said. He'd thought trying to squeeze both of them on the same bed last night had been a close fit, but that was a king sized bed compared to this. "I can't move my arm at all - it's pinned to the wall."

"Mine too," Flynn said. "This shouldn't be for long, just until we get out of the city."

"Yeah."

The cart trundled along, adding an element of bumpiness to their already uncomfortable arrangements. Bits of dirt rained down from the old wooden boards above them and onto their faces. Flynn broke the silence by saying, "You know… we both took care of Repede when he was a puppy. He really is _our_ dog, not just yours."

"Oh, please. You ran off doing your knight business and never even came to visit. I spent three years picking up his crap, taking him for walks, and making sure there was food on the floor for him."

"You're the one who walked out, Yuri," Flynn said. "You knew what responsibilities you were getting yourself into when you took the dog."

"All I'm saying is, you can't call yourself his master when you weren't around for most of his life."

"Repede still thinks of me as his master," Flynn pointed out.

"He gives you too much credit."

"I can't believe you're mad at _me_. You're the one who left the Knights!"

"I'm not mad at you," Yuri said. "I just don't think you deserve equal credit for Repede growing up to be such a good dog. I mean, sure, maybe you had some good influence on him when he was a puppy, but for most of his life I raised him as a single owner."

"Sh," Flynn said.

"Oh, right, shush me as soon as you know I've won the argument. You always-"

"There are knights outside, stupid!" Flynn tried to kick him, but with their close proximity all he managed was to press his leg against Yuri's. The cart slowed down as they reached the exit to the city. Through the crack in the wall, Yuri saw a knight march past. The cart crawled forward, with Yuri and Flynn making as little noise as possible. Yuri might be imagining it, but he was sure Flynn was breathing abnormally loudly.

They stopped right at the exit. Hanks said, "What's the problem? You knights are holding up my delivery to Deidon Hold."

"My apologies, good citizen," said a voice. Yuri heard Flynn sigh slightly in irritation, and realized that voice was the same smarmy captain they'd encountered last night. "As I'm sure you've heard, a suspected murder broke out of jail last night. It's also suspected that known criminal Yuri Lowell aided him in his escape. It is in the public's best interest that we catch them before he can strike again."

"Oh, I heard about that, alright," Hanks said. "Don't think there's anyone in the lower quarter who hasn't heard what you idiots have done to Flynn. If that kid's a murderer, I'm the princess."

"Hmph," Peel said. "I should have expected the lower quarter to band together to protect their own. I guess it just goes to show that Flynn Scifo may think he's a big-shot politician now, but in the end he's still just another lower quarter street rat."

"Ha!" Hanks said. "Yeah, I bet Flynn still thinks of himself as one of us - and we're damn proud of it."

"That's an awful lot of support for a murderer," Peel said.

"It would be, if he'd actually done it."

"I don't support you have any idea where the fugitives are now?"

"Not a clue," Hanks said.

"So you have no qualms about allowing us to search your cart?"

"Be my guest."

Yuri and Flynn lay absolutely still. Above them, a couple of knights climbed on the cart and began ruffling through the sacks. Yuri found himself holding his breath as boots crossed right over his face.

"You'd better put those back in the same condition you found them," Hanks said. "I spent too long getting organized this morning for you knights to mess it all up."

"Oh, we'll put it back," Peel said, leaning over the side of the cart. His waisted pressed against the side, less than an inch from Yuri's face. He could have reached out and touched the shiny new knife on his belt, if he had the room to move his arm. "Assuming we don't find the fugitives right… here!" Burlap ripped as he tore open a sack. "…Oh."

"You blasted idiot!" Hanks shouted. "You've spilled grain everywhere!"

Peel fell back. "Oh… My apologies."

"Sir!" one of the knights said. "We've searched the cart. There's no sign of the fugitives."

"Very well," Peel said. "It seems you're not smuggling them out after all. Be on your way, citizen."

"Damn straight I'll be on my way, you useless knights." The cart jerked into movement again, pulling them outside the city. Yuri didn't sigh with relief until he saw them pass the main gate out of town.

"We made it," he said.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Flynn said. "We should stay down here until we're out of sight of the city."

"Ugh, how did I know you were going to say that?" Yuri said.

"Because you know I'm the rational one."

"Yeah, whatever. Something stinks and I think it's you."

"It's both of us, Yuri. We crawled through a sewer last night, remember?"

"Oh, right." Yuri groaned and tried to stretch his neck. It was a fruitless effort. "Hey, Flynn, I was just thinking. I caught a glimpse of Peel's knife just now, and it looked a lot like yours."

"It's the same knife," Flynn said. "Everyone gets a knife like that upon being promoted to captain."

"Oh, ok." Yuri thought about this for a little while, and then asked, "Is it possible that you didn't look closely at your initials? If there are multiple copies of the same knife, and someone just scratched your initials on someone else's knife…"

Flynn was silent for a long time. There was nothing else to distract himself with, so Yuri picked at a rough piece of wood under his hand.

"That… might be possible," Flynn said. "I didn't look too closely at the knife. I knew mine was missing and glanced at the hilt and saw an FS, so I didn't inspect it too closely. That doesn't answer where my knife went, though. It's still missing."

"Yeah, I know," Yuri said. "I was just thinking." Flynn didn't answer. Yuri closed his eyes and decided to see if he could get some sleep. He had nearly fallen asleep to the rhythmic trundling of the cart when Flynn spoke up again.

"Yuri… do you think it's possible that I actually am responsible?"

Yuri didn't eve open his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's been on my mind for a while. I don't remember what happened that night. I was just doing paperwork and then the next thing I knew, I woke up. The thing is… there was mud on my boots and servants saw me leave the castle. I don't remember leaving at all! What if I _did_ kill him and just don't remember it?"

Yuri sighed and opened his eyes. "Flynn, you're being stupid."

"But what if-"

"No. Are you seriously suggesting you sleep-murdered someone?"

"It fits with all the evidence. And if I did… Yuri, if I'm guilty, I need to turn myself in and I'll take any punishment they give me. I don't think I can live with myself if it's true. Even if I don't remember doing it, what I did was inexcusable and completely reprehensible."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "If I could move my arms right now, I'd punch you for being so thick-headed. You passed out in the middle of working because you push yourself too hard and you were tired. You used to sleepwalk when we were kids; you probably just went for a walk or something. Besides, I don't think that you can do stuff while sleepwalking that wouldn't even occur to you while awake."

"You think so?"

"I'm no expert, but I think it's kind of like being drunk. You know, like they say that all the dumb stuff you do while drunk is just stuff you normally consider and then don't do because it's dumb. So if you're sleepwalking, you wouldn't do something that would never even cross your mind while awake. I know you well enough to know that you're way too good a person to ever even consider murdering someone in cold blood." He turned his head away from Flynn a bit and added, "You're not me."

"Yuri…"

"So stop being so paranoid, you idiot," Yuri said gruffly before Flynn could try to say something about his last comment.

"Thanks, Yuri." He sounded at least partially convinced.

About half an hour later, the cart finally pulled to a stop and Hanks opened the panel to the compartment. "How you boys doing down there?"

"Cramped," Yuri said. "Can we come out yet?"

Hanks looked back toward Zaphias. "Yeah, I think we're far enough away now. Come on out."

"Thank goodness," Flynn said. "I don't know how much longer I could last stuck down there with Yuri." Hanks gave him a hand and helped him out of the compartment.

"Hey, it wasn't all peaches and rainbows for me, either," Yuri said, climbing up after Flynn. He looked to Hanks and said, "Thanks for getting us out of there."

"Yes," Flynn said. "I can't thank you enough."

"It was no trouble," Hanks said. "After all you boys have done for the lower quarter, it's the least I can do. We'll reach Deidon Hold some time tomorrow, but I'm afraid that's as far as I can go."

"That's more than enough," Flynn said. "I'll repay you any way I can."

"All you need to do is catch the bastard that did this," Hanks said. "Not because I care about that count, but because you're the best commandant this empire's had in ages, and I don't want to see you replaced."

Flynn smiled a bit. "I will. Thanks."

* * *

After nightfall, the cart pulled off the side of the road. "This is as far as we're going tonight, boys," Hanks said. "We'll make it to Deidon Hold tomorrow night."

Yuri and Flynn hopped down from cart and immediately got to work setting up camp. When Hanks tried to help, they brushed him aside and insisted on doing all the work. Hanks nodded in bemusement and sat back to watch them bicker - er, set up camp. Somehow, whenever Yuri and Flynn worked together on anything, it always ended up with them arguing.

"No, Yuri, the tent pole goes over here."

"You're a moron, Flynn," Yuri said. "It goes here."

"And stop waving that around! You are going to take someone's eye out."

"What are you talking about? It's blunt."

"Ugh. Just hand it to me. I know what I'm doing."

"Really? I figured the commandant would have people to set up his tent for him."

"I still know how to do it myself. Get me the hammer, will you?"

"Uh… here, just use my sword hilt."

"Yuri! Where's the hammer?"

"I don't know, somewhere. Hilts work fine."

"You're impossible. Just - don't throw that at me!"

"What? I just tossed it, and it's still in its sheath."

"Dammit, Yuri."

Somehow or another, camp got set up. Both Yuri and Flynn insisted that it would have gone a lot faster had the other not helped. They had a quick bite to eat, and then Hanks retreated into the tent to go to sleep.

"I'm going to hit the sack, too," Yuri said, reaching up and stretching. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and there was no point sitting up. "You should, too. We don't need anyone to keep watch - we've got a basic barrier to keep to the monsters away."

Flynn sat by the small campfire, staring out at the grassy field. "I will in a minute."

Yuri hesitated. He really wanted to crawl into the sent and go to sleep, but Flynn's expression stopped him. Maybe it was an eerie side effect of the soft firelight dancing across his face, but there was a very un-Flynn-like look in his eyes. Yuri couldn't put his finger on it, but going to bed when his friend was obviously deeply bothered by something felt like a jerk move. He sighed, and walked on his knees over to Flynn.

"What's eating you?"

"It's nothing. Go to bed."

"Flynn." Flynn should know better than to think either of them was capable of hiding something from the other.

Flynn's shoulders slumped a bit. "You're going to think it's stupid."

"I think a lot of things you say are stupid, but you've never let that stop you before."

Flynn glanced slightly to the side, letting his somber look break into annoyance for a split second. Then his eyes turned back to the empty field and said, "I'm still thinking about whether I had anything to do with Borden's death."

Yuri nearly smacked him in exasperation. "You're _still_ fretting about that?"

"Yes, Yuri. The thought that I might have _murdered_ _someone_ is still weighing on my mind somewhat."

"Well, you didn't, so drop it." For such a smart guy, Flynn could be so aggravatingly stupid at times.

"But we don't know that for sure!" Flynn looked to Yuri, and Yuri was taken aback by just how distraught his face was.

"I _told_ you, Flynn," Yuri said. "You wouldn't have done anything while sleepwalking that you wouldn't even consider when awake."

"Yuri… I _wanted_ to kill him," Flynn said, with an agonized look in his eyes as if he was actually confessing to murder. "In the council room, I considered it. I was so angry at him I just couldn't stop myself from thinking that everything would be easier if he was gone." He leaned forward, holding his head in his hands and staring at the ground intently. "What if I did? What if I actually acted on those urges? What if I'm actually capable of doing something like that?"

"Flynn, you did not kill him," Yuri said firmly. It had been a long time since he had to comfort Flynn over anything. Flynn was always so confident and in control - seeing him worried and uncertain was unsettling, like cracks appearing in a pillar. He wasn't good at mushy-gushy emotions or talking about feelings. When they were younger and Flynn was upset, Yuri usually resorted to making dumb jokes in an attempt to make him laugh to cheer him up. Somehow, he got the feeling that this was a problem too big to be brushed aside with humour. Unlike Flynn, Yuri was certain that Flynn was innocent. He had every confidence in Flynn; he just wished he knew how to express this to Flynn.

"But how can you be sure?" Flynn asked. "All the evidence says I did. This guilt… it's making me feel sick."

"I know you didn't murder anyone," Yuri said. He frowned, looking away from Flynn. He picked at some weeds in the grass, trying to sound casual. "Because… I know how that sits in a chest, and you don't have that look."

Flynn raised his head and looked to Yuri, although he was still determinedly looking away from him. Yuri didn't often think about Ragou or Cumore. He did not regret what he'd done, because at the end of the day, people's lives were saved because those bastards were put down. But, he couldn't say that he had liked doing it, either. He'd killed in the heat of battle before, but slitting a man's throat in cold blood was completely different. He could still vividly remember the way Ragou's body had twitched and struggled in his hands before finally going still. He still remembered how long he'd spent washing his hands in the inn afterwards, because he was sure he could still feel blood and he didn't want Karol or Estelle to see it and ask. It wasn't something you forgot, and it wasn't something you just got over.

"Yuri…" Flynn said quietly. Flynn hadn't talked to him about his murders since that night in Mantaic. Neither of them ever brought it up, because it was likely to lead to an argument.

"It's kind of insulting, you know," Yuri said, twirling a bade of grass around his fingers. He smirked, trying to pass it off as a joke "Angsting over murdering someone when you obviously have no idea what it really feels like."

Flynn stared at him. Yuri flicked the grass away, wondering if Flynn had been sufficiently comforted yet. Flynn spoke quietly. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

"Nope," Yuri said without hesitation.

"How do you live with yourself?" Flynn asked. Yuri frowned, and he quickly added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I don't know how to live with myself if it turns out that I was responsible, and I just thought… you're the only person who might understand what it feels like."

Yuri sighed. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Please, Yuri. This is tearing me apart."

"First of all, you're innocent, you moron, so this doesn't actually affect you. Secondly, you're the most upstanding, law-abiding, honourable stick-in-the-mud I have ever met, so even if you _did_ kill him - which you didn't - you only would have done it if you honestly thought it was for the good of the empire. You already know how I feel about putting bastards down to protect the lives of others, and I don't feel like dragging this old argument out again."

Flynn gave him a look, and Yuri worried that Flynn really was going to drag this out again. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh and said, "Alright. Thank you for your help."

"So… you're ok now?"

Flynn frowned. "I'm alright. Go to bed; I don't want to keep you up any longer."

"Alright." Yuri stood up, and then slapped Flynn on the shoulder. "Stop worrying. Everyone will be so upset if the empire's golden boy dies of an aneurysm. What then? They might have to settle for a commandant who's not perfect."

Flynn's shoulder stiffened, so subtly that anyone other than Yuri probably wouldn't have noticed. "Heh. You're right."

"Not me, though," Yuri said. "I wouldn't care. You're only my second-favourite person in the world."

Flynn raised his head. "Who's the first?"

"Everybody else." Yuri lightly smacked the back of his head with a grin. "Don't stay up too late."


	4. The Lady and the Knife

They reached Deidon Hold around dusk. Hanks pulled the cart into the main courtyard, and Yuri and Flynn hopped down to help him unload.

"I'm afraid this is as far as I can take you," Hanks said.

"This is already farther than I could have asked," Flynn said.

Some workers around the hold came over to help unload the supplies. No knights had passed them on the road, so Yuri hoped that word of Flynn's arrest and subsequent jailbreak had yet to reach the Hold. Once they started walking tomorrow, the knights on horseback would surely race ahead of them to put up wanted posters, so they'd have to enjoy their last few hours of relative freedom. Still, it would be best to avoid unneeded interaction with the knights. The Hold's population the hold was minimal, with some knight barracks off to one side and a few ramshackle houses set up around the inn, which was the focal point of this 'town'. Really, it was just a stopping point on the road from Zaphias to Halure, with a handful of permanent residents.

"That's everything," Hanks said when they finished. "Thanks a lot, boys."

"We should be thanking you," Yuri said once the workers had walked away with the sacks in their arms. "Couldn't have gotten out of the capital without you."

"This is the second time I've had to help you run away from Zaphias, Yuri," Hanks said. "Don't make this a habit, will you?"

Yuri waved his hand flippantly. "Yeah, sure."

"Here," he handed Yuri a small sack. "Food and supplies for your journey. Can't have you starving to death at the side of the road."

"I can't thank you enough for your help," Flynn said.

"All you need to do to repay me is catch the bastard who framed you. I don't want to deal with some new commandant coming around and ruining all the work you've done. The whole lower quarter is counting on you."

Flynn's face tightened a bit, though it didn't look like Hanks noticed. "I understand," Flynn said. "I won't let you down."

"Good luck," Hanks said. "I'll see you back in Zaphias once this has all blown over." He climbed back up on his now-empty cart and rolled away.

"Now what?" Flynn asked.

Yuri shrugged. "Get a room at the inn, I guess. We'll stay here tonight and set out tomorrow morning."

Flynn nodded and they started walking in that direction. "How are we going to afford a room? I don't have any money."

"I grabbed some gald when I was packing yesterday morning. I can pay for our expenses on this little trip."

"Good. I'll reimburse you when we get back to the capital."

"Don't worry about it." Flynn was always trying to shove money in his face. He acted like Yuri was still unemployed. Sure, Flynn might be significantly better off than Yuri in the financial department, but it wasn't like Yuri was broke. Brave Vesperia was a small guild, but they got by.

"I don't have a sword, either," Flynn said with a frown. "I didn't have mine on me when they arrested me and I didn't have a chance to retrieve it from my room after breaking out."

"I'll buy you one of those, too, if you want," Yuri said.

"I don't want you to spend all your money on me."

"Flynn, it really isn't a problem. I was expecting this when I offered to break you out. All you've got is the shirt on your back." He glanced at the rough brown shirt Yuri had pulled out of his drawer this morning and added, "Which isn't even your shirt to begin with."

Flynn sighed. "Thanks, Yuri."

Inside the inn, Yuri handed over the money to pay for one room, and then turned to Flynn. "I think I'm going to pop over to the bar and have a drink. You can wait for me in the room if you want."

Flynn shook his head. "No, I'll go with you."

"Seriously?" Yuri asked as they walked back out. "You're not just going to drink water, are you?"

"No. It's been a stressful couple of days. I think I could use a drink."

"Suit yourself." The bar was noisy and crowded, and Yuri led them to a small table against the back wall where they would be out of the limelight. He left Flynn to hold the table and went to get the drinks. There were a few knights in the bar, and even if word of Flynn's arrest hadn't reached the hold yet, it would be better if they could avoid a fuss. Luckily, it seemed that most people recognized Flynn by the uniform, and that while wearing Yuri's clothes he passed without notice as another lower quarter peasant.

He returned to the table and set two pints down between them. "Here you go. When was the last time you drank?"

Flynn shrugged. "I had some wine at a formal dinner two weeks ago."

Yuri wrinkled his nose. "Wine doesn't count. That stuff is nasty."

"It's alright." Flynn took a small sip of beer. "A few months ago I considered using alcohol to take the edge off when stress about work piled on too high, but then I realized that if I drank every time I was stressed I'd be an alcoholic by the end of the year."

"That bad, huh?"

"It's not _bad,_ per se," Flynn said. "It's just a lot of work. Maybe the paperwork overload is what drove Alexei mad." He leaned back in the chair and stretched his legs out. "I miss being in the field. I'm afraid I'm going to go stir-crazy."

"Man, I don't think I could do that," Yuri said. The best thing about his job with Brave Vesperia was that their contracts took them all over the world. With Judy and Ba'ul they never had to worry about travel time or expenses, and every job was new and different, meaning he never got bored with it. He was looking forward to getting back to it once the lower quarter's fountain was working. He had planned to stay in Dahngrest after defeating the Adephagos last year, but when Hanks had asked him to help out a couple of months ago, he couldn't say no.

"Don't get me wrong," Flynn said. "Being the commandant is more than I could have ever dreamed of. I'm finally in a position to really make a difference in the world. You know…" he looked up from his glass and tried, "if you came back to the knights now, it wouldn't be like before. You could help me change this country, together, like we promised."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Are you still going on about that? No, Flynn. I am not going back to the knights."

Flynn smiled a bit. "I didn't really expect you to say yes. I just thought I'd ask. If you ever change your mind, though, you need only ask. I can put you in the Royal Guard working directly beneath me, so you wouldn't have to take orders from anyone but me."

The thought of being officially beneath Flynn bothered Yuri far more than he was willing to let on. He'd finally reached a point in his life where he could look at Flynn and see him as his equal, rather than a person he needed to catch up with. Throwing himself into the strict hierarchy of the knights and being legally obligated to take orders from Flynn was not going to help. He'd never been able to talk to Flynn about this before, and wasn't going to start now, so instead he laughed it off. "Is that supposed to endear me to this plan?"

"Well… I suppose not."

Yuri shook his head. "Give up, Flynn. It's better this way." They could accomplish so much more working independently. Yuri didn't want to risk letting his dirtied-hands tarnish Flynn's reputation. That wasn't to say he didn't still rely on Flynn. He knew he didn't have to worry about making sweeping changes to the empire because Flynn was there to take care of that. Flynn could save the world, while Yuri would clean up the villains who inevitably fell through the cracks. Flynn was his rock, the one constant source of justice in the empire that he could fall back on. He didn't always agree with Flynn's methods, but that was why he worked independently. As long as Flynn steered the empire in the right direction, he was free to make things right in his own way, and feel like his efforts weren't totally pointless.

"Perhaps you're right," Flynn said. "How are things with you? Is your guild working out?"

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. We've got a lot more business than is normal for a brand-new guild, but I think being advertised as the saviours of the world is good for publicity." The official word in the empire was that Flynn had been responsible for stopping the Adephagos. Outside the borders of the empire, the guild bosses who had been present at the Aurnion meeting made it no secret that it had been a guild to save the world.

"I'm glad to hear it," Flynn said. "I wish you'd let me give you some credit within the empire, too."

"Nah, you need the reputation boost more than we do," Yuri said. Having the reputation as the man who single-handedly saved the world was one of the leading factors in getting the Council at least somewhat on his side. "Although, not all the jobs we've gotten have been that great. Karol refuses to turn down anything and we're a very general guild, which means we've had some… interesting assignments."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Yuri leaned forward a bit. "Did I ever tell you about the day we spent babysitting a small herd of baby Bunwiggles?"

"I… don't think you did."

"Oh, good. It all started when this farmer came wandering into our office asking for help…"

It had been a long time since he and Flynn had been able to sit down and have a quiet drink together - long enough ago that the drinks hadn't been alcoholic. Both of them were so busy that most of their time to chat in the past year had been quick snatches of conversation between meetings or Flynn half-paying attention to Yuri as he worked. Maybe they were on the run, and maybe Flynn's life was on the line if they didn't catch the killer before his trial, but little moments like these were nice.

They were almost done with their drinks now. Yuri considered getting another, but Flynn insisted that they not drink too heavily tonight. After all, they needed to stay alert and be on the move early the next day.

"...and then," Flynn was saying, trying to stifle a laugh, "it turns out he kept trying to get his troops to march in the formation of arrows."

"Arrows?" Yuri asked.

Flynn nodded quickly. "Arrows. He thought regiments were actually supposed to form up into arrow patterns, like how they appear on charts of troop movements."

"Oh geeze," Yuri said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Please tell me you did not promote him."

Flynn snorted and shook his head. "No. It was decided that Lieutenant Rust should take some remedial lessons at the Knight Academy."

"Man, and that is the kind of leadership I am missing out on by leaving the knights," Yuri said, shaking his head. "What was I thinking by leaving?"

Flynn's shoulders still shook with laughter. A peaceful evening and a bit of alcohol seemed to be doing him some good, because Yuri hadn't seen him laugh so hard, or so casually, in years.

Their peaceful evening was interrupted when a pretty young woman strode up to the table. Yuri eyed her suspiciously, hoping she wasn't going to try to turn Flynn in. Flynn looked up at her expectantly, and had just opened his mouth to ask her what she needed when she slapped him across the face. His head jerked to the side with a look of shock, while Yuri froze and stared in surprise. He couldn't exactly say he'd been expecting that.

"You complete _bastard_ ," the woman yelled at Flynn. "You told me you were only in town for one night! Now I find you here, with another woman?!"

Yuri looked around their table, wondering who the 'other woman' she was referring to was.

"W-what?" Flynn said, one hand on the side of his face. "Miss, I'm sorry, I think you have-"

"I should have known not to trust you, Garen! You're just another slimy guild rat toying with my feelings!"

Yuri had finally realized who the woman meant by 'other woman', and he was not pleased with his findings. He glanced down at his shirt, which he hadn't bothered to completely button up so it exposed a good portion of his chest. His pointedly _flat_ chest. "Hey!" he said. "Who are you calling another woman?"

The woman shot her head to him and took a small step back as her eyes widened, taken aback by the deepness of Yuri's voice. "O-oh! You're - I'm so sorry, sir!" She looked back to Flynn with doe eyes. "Oh, Garen, you _are_ being faithful! You're here for another night!" She leaned forward, grabbed Flynn's collar in one hand, and planted a kiss on his lips. Flynn's eyes went wide while his cheeks went redder than the woman's lipstick. His instincts to not use physical force against an unarmed woman left him flailing his hands around, not sure what to do with them. The woman had one hand locked around his collar while the other ran through his hair on the back of his head. Flynn's eyes darted to Yuri's, silently pleading with him to do something about this strange woman eating his face.

"Hey!" Yuri said, leaning over the table and grabbing her shoulder. "I think you've made a mistake, lady."

"What?" she snapped, pulling away and finally giving Flynn a chance to breathe. He scooted his chair back somewhat, though she was still holding his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Flynn said. "I don't know who Garen is and I'm afraid I don't recall ever meeting you before. We just arrived in the Hold this evening."

" _What_?" she said, more icily this time. "You mean you're not…?" Her expression turned to ice.

Flynn leaned back a bit, and Yuri couldn't help but laugh. The list of terrifying monsters Flynn simply could not handle consisted of rats and women.

"How dare you!" she yelled, and then smacked Flynn across the face again. "Taking advantage of me like that, you pervert!"

Flynn gaped at her in confusion. "I'm… sorry?"

"You're the one who kissed him," Yuri said. "Maybe you should pay more attention to where you're sticking your tongue before you go taking your anger out on innocent guys."

The woman flushed and covered her mouth with her hand. "I… you're right. I'm very sorry." She looked to Flynn and said, "I should apologize. I was just so certain you were Garen; it's eerie. I had such a lovely evening with him last night and he told me he had to head home to Dahngrest today, so when I saw you I was afraid he'd been lying."

"That's quite alright," Flynn said, lowering his hand. "I hope everything works out between you and this Garen person."

"Yes. Sorry to bother you. Have a good night." She hurried away before she could make a bigger scene.

Once she was gone, Yuri agitatedly picked at the front of his shirt. "Why does this keep happening to me? Do I need to walk around entirely shirtless in order for people to realize I'm a man?"

Flynn ignored him, his face deep in thought.

"I mean, I don't look _that_ feminine? Do I?"

Without really looking at him, Flynn said, "No, Yuri, you're very manly."

Yuri scowled and crossed his arms. Maybe he should get a haircut? He brushed that thought aside as soon as it occurred to him. He liked his hair, dammit, and he wasn't going to change it just because some stupid people were blind. Flynn was still staring into space. "Flynn? Calm down, she wasn't really mad at you. I know the possibility of anyone not liking you is foreign to you, but relax."

Flynn snapped back to attention. "Didn't you hear what she said?"

Yuri shrugged. "To be honest, I got kind of distracted when she called me a woman."

"Someone who looks very similar to me passed through here last night, and is moving on to Dahngrest."

Yuri dropped his casual smile in sudden understanding. "You think the assassin…?"

"What other explanation could there be? It's a bit of a coincidence."

"Excellent. Now we know we need to head for Dahngrest."

"Right," Flynn said with a nod. "Additionally… this confirms that there really is another guy running around who looks a lot like me."

"Exactly," Yuri said. "See? I said you were innocent. You should learn to listen to me."

Flynn took a deep breath and smiled. "This is quite a weight off my shoulders."

"Tomorrow, we'll set our course for Dahngrest and when we find this guy, we'll drag him back to Zaphias and get you off the hook."

Flynn nodded. "Yeah."

They weren't quite tired yet, and this promising new lead had lifted their spirits, so Yuri went ahead and got them a second round of drinks. With the promise of a culprit waiting for them in Dahngrest, they talked and joked late into the night.

* * *

Estelle sat at her desk in her room, talking with Rita. This communication device of hers was Estelle's favourite invention yet. There were a few rows of buttons with pictures of letters and punctuation, and a slip of paper that stuck out the top. When you pressed a button, it slapped some ink onto the paper to make words appear. It would ordinarily be useful just for writing, but since Rita had synced their mana frequencies, whenever Rita typed on hers in Halure, the words showed up on Estelle's in Zaphias, and vice versa. It was small enough that she could fit it in a bag and carry around the castle, so she felt like she and Rita were never truly separated.

 _I just can't believe what's happened to Flynn =(,_ Estelle typed.

A few seconds later, the machine began moving on its own, typing out Rita's response. _ya, its ridiculus. also i told u to stop making those faces_.

There was one problem with communicating with Rita through writing. It turned out that Rita's grasp of spelling was tentative at best. She seemed to approach the rules of language as mere suggestions that got in the way of speed and efficiency. When Estelle had offered to help tutor her, she had replied, "As long as you can understand what the word is supposed to be, why does it matter if I use the exact right letters?" To someone like Estelle, who loved reading and language and everything about words, this was painful. Estelle had also been quite excited when she realized that she could use punctuation marks to make little faces, but Rita didn't seem to find this as cute as she did.

 _But Rita_ , Estelle wrote, _it makes it so much easier to express emotion =(. Besides, I think they're cute =)_.

_watever. r u doing anything to help with the case?_

_Of course =D! Yuri broke Flynn out of jail a couple of nights ago. I haven't gone down to the lower quarter yet because I don't want it to be obvious that I was working with them, but I'm planning to go down later today. While they're out searching for clues, I'm going to continue doing detective work here in Zaphias \o/._

_good idea. let me no if theres anything i can do._

Estelle sighed. _Rita… are you sure you don't want me to help you with your spelling =T?_

_u no wat I'm saying dont u? its fine._

Estelle frowned. Rita was the smartest person in the world, but she couldn't be bothered spelling out the word 'you'. _If you say so, Rita. I'm going to head down to the lower quarter now. I'll talk to you again when I get back, ok? =3_

_rite. by_

Estelle stood up and slipped her shoes on, and prepared herself for leaving the castle. She had thought after returning to the castle after their journey that she wouldn't have to sneak around to get out of the castle, but this turned out not to be the case. Flynn had given the order that none of the guards were to try to stop her if she wanted to leave, but that didn't stop them from trying to follow her 'for her protection.' When she went to visit her friends, she didn't want an entire retinue of retainers and guards following her. The result of this is that she tended to sneak around and slip out of the castle when no one was looking, just so she could get down to see Yuri without going through fifteen minutes of "no, really, I really don't need guards to go with me. Yes I know I'm going to the lower quarter. No you don't need to protect me."

She slipped out through a side door and then snuck through the gardens. She managed to get out of the castle without being stopped, and breathed easily once she reached the streets of the royal quarter. Being royalty was such a pain sometimes. She still wanted to move to Halure, but the empire was in such chaos in the wake of the Adephagos. Ioder had asked her to stay and help him in an advisory capacity, and she didn't have the heart to say no.

When she finally reached the lower quarter, she saw Repede sit up from the fountain. He barked when he saw her, and Ted looked around. His face lit up and he said, "Oh! Princess Estellise!"

Estelle crossed the square and sat down on the half-completed fountain. "Hello, Ted."

Ted jumped up as soon as she sat down. "H-hi! I was just looking after Repede."

"I'm sure you're taking very good care of him." Estelle reached out to rub Repede's head, but just as she was about to touch him he laid down. She frowned, and leaned over to scratch his ears on the ground, but then he rolled over onto his back. Estelle sighed. Apparently Repede did not want her pets. "Ted, do you know where Yuri and Flynn are?"

Ted nodded. "They escaped from the capital yesterday morning with Hanks. He's taking them to Deidon Hold."

"Oh, thank goodness." She was certain she would have heard about it if they were caught, but she hated the idea that they were holed up in some dark alley, hiding from the knights. "Is Repede staying with you?"

"I came by to give him food this morning," Ted said. "But Yuri said he should go to the castle and stay with you while he's gone."

Estelle nodded. "Yes, that would be best. What do you think, Repede? Would you like to come live at the castle?"

Repede raised his head, growled a bit, and then flopped his head down with a resigned sigh. Estelle took this as a yes.

"What are you going to do about Yuri and Flynn, Princess Estellise?" Ted asked.

"I'd like to help them if I can," Estelle said. "I'm sure there are more clues here in Zaphias, but they had to leave to avoid the knights. I'm going to investigate this case."

"Um, er…" Ted shuffled his feet and looked up at Estelle nervously. "Could… could I help you? I want to help Flynn and Yuri too."

Estelle smiled. "Yes, of course you can. It will be very helpful if I can bounce ideas off someone."

"Alright!" Ted jumped up and punched the air. He caught himself and said, "I - I mean, thank you, Princess Estellise!"

Estelle giggled a bit. "Please, just call me 'Estelle.'"

Ted's eyes turned to dinner plates. "W-what? I can call you that? Really?"

"Of course!" She stood up and straightened her skirt. "If Yuri and Flynn are gone, I'm going to head back to the castle with Repede now. Why don't you come with me and we can go over what we know of the case?"

Ted gaped at her. "I… I can… go to the _castle_?"

"Sure," Estelle said. "Come with me."

Repede barked and got to his feet. Estelle started walking, and Ted took a couple of seconds to come to his senses and run after her.

The walk to the castle seemed to take longer than the walk to the lower quarter. Mostly this was because Ted kept up a constant stream of conversation, which Estelle tried hard to follow. He babbled about Yuri, about his adventures in the lower quarter, about fun animal facts he'd learned from Estelle's, book, and a million other things Estelle had trouble keeping track of. Estelle didn't really mind; he sort of reminded her of Karol when they first met.

When they reached the castle, the guards gave Ted a confused look. Scruffy boys from the lower quarter did not often visit the castle and he stuck out like weed in a bouquet. But, since he was accompanying the princess, nobody said a thing. Estelle glared at anyone they passed, just daring them to say anything about him. For his part, Ted seemed oblivious to the stares he got, because he was too busy staring around the castle in awe.

"It's so huge!" Ted said as they walked down the hall. "Woooow, it's almost as pretty as you are, Princess Estellise!" He suddenly blushed when he realized what he'd said, and glanced up at her to see if she'd noticed.

Estelle just smiled. "Thank you, Ted." Her appreciation for the castle had improved tremendously now that she knew she could leave it if she wanted.

"Lady Estellise!" a servant hurried down the hall toward her. "There is a young woman here to see you."

Estelle cocked her head. "A young woman? Who is it?"

"She gave her name as Miss Shipton. She claims to be a maid from the late Count Borden's mansion."

"Oh, I remember her! I'll meet with her in my room."

They walked the rest of the way to Estelle's room, and Estelle led Ted inside. She took her shoes off once she was in her room, but Ted stood nervously near the door, not wanting to touch anything.

"Please sit down, Ted," Estelle said. Repede trotted across the room and curled up on the floor in front of the couch. It was the same place where Yuri always sat when he came to visit, which Estelle doubted was a coincidence.

"O-ok," Ted said, tiptoeing across the room and sitting on the couch near Repede.

"Would you like anything to eat?" Estelle asked.

Ted shook his head, at a loss for words. She supposed that for an ordinary boy from the lower quarter, the possibility of sitting around the castle with the princess was so far beyond his comprehension, he was in shock. Estelle paused by her desk at the window to type a quick message to Rita.

_Hello, I'm back now =). I brought a boy back from the lower quarter, so I can't talk long or it would be rude._

Rita's response came quickly, and based on the number of spelling mistakes she'd typed even faster than usual. _a boy? estel what r u talkign abut who is he?_

_He's just a friend of Yuri's. He's pretty cute, actually X3. Also, could you please at least try to spell my name properly? =(_

_wat oh no im sorry Estelle. But wat do u mean hes cute? y do u have a boy in ur room?_

_I'm sorry, I'll talk to you later. I don't want to be rude. I'll talk to you later tonight! 8D_

_wat! Estelle wate! who is he!_

Estelle stepped away from the desk just as the door knocked. She hurried over and opened the door, admitting a nervous young woman she remembered from the other day. Estelle smiled brightly to put her at ease. "Hello. Can I help you with something?"

"Um - Y-Your Highness, I remembered that Count Borden's unfortunate death was of interest to you, so I thought you'd be interested in these." She held up a folder overstuffed with papers, with a knife sitting on top.

"What is it?" Estelle asked, taking the items gently.

"I - I was cleaning up Count Borden's bedroom and I found this knife sitting on the dresser. Nobody in the manor recognized it, and I thought it looked like something a knight would carry, so I thought you'd be interested. The folder is something I found while cleaning out his office. It was tucked away under a hidden panel in one of his drawers. I thought that was kind of weird, so…"

"Hm…" Estelle looked down at the folder and the knife, which looked exactly like Flynn's knife. "That's strange. Thank you for bringing these to me."

Louise curtsied, said, "That is all, Your Highness. I will let you know if I find anything else."

"Yes, thank you," Estelle said. Louise hurried away down the hall, leaving Estelle standing in the doorway, staring at the folder and the knife.

"What is it?" Ted asked, craning his neck to see.

Estelle closed the door and looked across the room. "It's a folder and a knife from Borden's mansion. I'll look through the folder later, but for now I'd like to know who's knife this is. Why would Borden have a knight captain's knife in his bedroom?"

"We should go ask whose knife it is," Ted said.

Estelle frowned. "Can we do that?"

"I think so," Ted said. "Flynn told me one time that he couldn't let me have a sword because all weapons belonging to the Knights are carefully regulated. So, I think that if a knife like that went missing, someone would know about it."

"You're right!" Estelle said. "We should go ask the armoury if any captains have lost their knife. You're a genius, Ted!"

"Y-you really think so?"

"Of course! Come on!" She set the folder down on a table and dashed out the door.

Ted hopped down from the couch and ran after Estelle. They hurried through the halls of the castle, brushing past surprised servants. Estelle led Ted through the twisting corridors to the area of the castle occupied by the Knights. Down on the first floor, Estelle found the armoury. All the weaponry was all locked up behind thick iron door across the reception room, with a couple of knights on duty, guarding the door. A young woman sat at the desk, and she sat upright when Estelle entered.

"Oh, Lady Estellise! Can I help you?"

"Yes," Estelle said, marching up to the desk. Ted hung by her side, glancing at the knights nervously. Estelle set the knife on the desk and said, "Is there any way I can find out who this knife belongs to?"

"Hm…" the woman bit her lip. "Where did you get this, Your Highness?"

"I… found it," Estelle said. Detectives in stories never gave out more information than they had to. _Everybody_ was a suspect.

Luckily, being the princess meant nobody pried too deeply when she withheld information. "I see," the woman said. "Well, there are no identifying features, but if a captain lost their knife they might have been issued a new one. So, if we look at the records we can see who recently replaced their knife, and they would most likely be the owner."

"Oh, good," Estelle said. "Please do that."

"Just a moment, Your Highness." The woman reached under her desk and pulled out a thick, leather-bound volume. She flipped through the pages until she reached the midway point and then traced her finger down neatly written rows of names and dates. "Let's see here…"

Estelle leaned over to look herself, but she was trying to read upside down and didn't really know what she was looking for.

"Ah, here it is," the desk clerk said. "Captains' knives aren't issued very often, but four days ago one was issued to a captain. The report says he needed a replacement because his fell in the river. Although…" she raised her eyes and looked at the knife on the desk. "That doesn't explain where this knife came from. It doesn't look like it was fished out of the river."

"That's not important," Estelle said quickly. "Which captain was it?"

"According to this, Captain Horatio Peel. So, in my professional opinion, the original bearer of this knife was mostly Captain Peel. Perhaps he lost it somewhere embarrassing? Where did you say he lost it?"

"Nowhere important," Estelle said. "Thank you very much for your help."

"Any time, Your Highness."

"Come on, Ted," Estelle said, grabbing the knife and heading back out.

Once they were in the hall, Ted made a face. "Captain Peel? He's the guy who was trying to catch Yuri and Flynn yesterday. He's annoying."

"M-hm…" Estelle frowned, deep in thought. "Peel is the one who initially arrested Flynn, and I believe the Council has put him in charge of recapturing Flynn."

"Huh. I wonder if this knife thing is related?"

"Of course it's related, Ted!" Estelle said. She had read enough detective books to know how these things worked. There was no such thing as a coincidence, and everything might be a clue. "I just don't know _how_ it's related. Why was Peels' knife in Borden's room? He got it replaced the day before Borden's murder, so he must have lost it before that happened."

"Hm…" Ted said, rubbing his chin. They were silent for the rest of the trip back to Estelle's room, both deep in thought, puzzling through the mystery of the knife. Estelle thought about all the mystery novels she'd read, trying to think of what their heroes would make of their clues.

When they reached Estelle's room, Ted paused just inside the door. "Hey, um… Princess Estellise? This might sound dumb, but… what if he got his knife replaced _before_ he lost it? I mean, if he got a brand new knife the day after the murder, that would look really suspicious, right? But if he got a new one a few days earlier, than he could lose his old one and nobody would think anything of it. Uh… sorry if that wasn't very smart."

Estelle stared, and then leaned over and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Ted, you're brilliant! I never even thought of that."

"So - so it's good, then?"

She released him and nodded. "Yes, that's a very good idea. Obviously we can't know for sure, but it's something to think about." Estelle set the knife down on her desk and grabbed the folder. She flipped it open and found herself staring at a map of Hypionia. She frowned a bit, wondering what Hypionia had to do with anything. She quickly flipped through the rest of the contents of the folder, and found page after page of messily scrawled notes. "Hm… Ted, I'm going to have to read through all of this stuff. You probably can't help much until I finish, so do you want to go home for now? I'll come get you if I learn anything, alright?"

"Ok, whatever you say, Princess Estellise."

Estelle crossed her room to the kitchen and took the lid off of the cookie jar. "Here," she said, pulling out some frosted sugar cookies. "Take these back and share them with your friends, alright?"

"Really? Wow, thank you, Princess Estellise!"

Estelle giggled. "Really, you can just call me Estelle."

"Um - uh - ok, E-Estelle."

"Ok, you run home now. If you ever find anything about the case, you can come and tell me whenever. I'll make sure the guards know to let you through."

Ted nodded. "Yeah, ok. Goodbye!"

Ted waved, and then ran out the door. Estelle smiled before heading to her desk. She sat down and typed out a quick message to Rita. _Hello again. We may have found out something about the case! =O It looks like Captain Peel is involved somehow._

 _peel?_ Rita responded. _whose he?_

_He's a knight captain. I'm not very fond of him. =\ I also got a folder from Borden's house with a bunch of mysterious stuff. I'm going to read through it now, even if it takes me all night =D._

_ok. u work on that. i cant tok rite now anyway becus these test tubes mite eksplode if i dont pay attention to them._

_Oh my gosh! Rita, yes, you need to focus on that! D= I'm going to read now, please be safe!_

_i will. good luk._

One of these days Estelle was going to sit down with Rita and force her to learn how to spell. For now, though, she'd focus on reading through this file and seeing if she could learn anything new about Borden that might help Flynn.


	5. Friendship...?

They left Deidon Hold at first light. The knights would undoubtedly be right behind them, so as soon as they could they left the road. They hiked across the broad, grass plains, enjoying the fresh air.

"Man, it's nice to get away from the capital," Yuri said after a little while.

"Yeah," Flynn said. "All the buildings, the work, the people…"

"We should travel more often," Yuri said. He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of pollen and fresh grass. "I can't believe it took me so long to get out of the city and see the world in the first place." He clasped his hands high above his head, taking in the beautiful morning.

"You could see even more of the world if you join the knights."

Yuri's smiled dropped and he lowered his arms to shove Flynn's shoulder. "You sound like a recruitment poster." He didn't shove him too hard, though, because he could tell by Flynn's tone that he was mostly joking.

"Hm…" was all Flynn said.

"Geeze, what is with you today?" Yuri said. "You've been even less chatty than usual. I'm going to get bored travelling with you."

"Sorry," Flynn said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Still?" They'd cleared up last night that there was indeed an assassin who was not Flynn, so Yuri figured Flynn's worrying would go away. "Oh, wait, I know what it is," Yuri said with a playful smirk. "That was your first kiss last night, wasn't it? And now you're upset because you wanted it to be special."

"That is not it, Yuri," Flynn said.

"But you didn't deny that it was your first kiss," Yuri said. He elbowed Flynn in the ribs. "So, how was it? Everything you thought it would be?"

"That wasn't my first kiss, either," Flynn said.

"Yeah, sure," Yuri said. "Then who was?"

"It was-" he abruptly cut off, and his cheeks turned a bit pink. "No one of consequence. It's unimportant."

"What? You can't build it up like that and then expect me to drop it." They were in the middle of nowhere with nothing but rolling fields in every direction. He could use a conversation topic.

"It's none of your business, Yuri."

"Was it someone I know?" Yuri asked.

Flynn pointedly didn't look at him and remained tight-lipped.

"Come on, just tell me that much. Was it someone I know or not?"

Flynn took a tight breath and then snapped, "Yes. Yes, it was with someone you know. Now drop it."

Every girl Yuri had ever met ran through his head. "It's got to be someone from the lower quarter, right?"

"Possibly."

"I didn't know you liked anyone when we were kids. What, was this some awkward dare when you were thirteen? I'm not sure if that counts as a first kiss, Flynn."

"No," Flynn said. "For you information, we were in a relationship at the time."

This news caused Yuri to stop walking for a second in shock. " _You_ were in a relationship?" He ran to catch up again. "You. A relationship. A long-term committed relationship with a female person. Wait, it _was_ a girl, right?"

" _Yes_ , it was a girl," Flynn said with irritation. "Why are you so flabbergasted by this news? I'm a person too, Yuri. I have a life outside of being a knight."

Yuri snorted. "Really? Could have fooled me. So, if this was a full-blown relationship, that means it must have been after you joined the Knights because I'm sure I would have noticed if you'd gotten yourself a girlfriend when we still lived together." Yuri wasn't actually that terribly interested in the specifics of Flynn's love life, but watching him get flustered and uncomfortable was the best entertainment Yuri had had in weeks. "So, was it a knight? Oh, was it one of those twins we worked with? Did you hook up with one of them after I left? So, which was it? Hisca or Chastel?"

"It wasn't either of them, Yuri! Could you please drop the subject?"

Flynn's level of annoyance was directly proportional to Yuri's level of amusement. "Hm, so not one of them… oh! I know," he snapped his fingers. "It was Sodia, right?"

"No," Flynn said.

"Come on, it has to be. She's crazy about you." She was crazy enough about Flynn that she would literally kill anyone who might harm him. Yuri didn't say that, although he did think that perhaps this attitude of hers was why she and Flynn were apparently not a couple anymore. "So, were you guys still dating during the Adephagos crisis?"

"No!" Flynn yelled.

"A-ha! You weren't _still_ dating, so you were dating earlier, yes?"

"No, we were never dating. Dammit, Yuri, just drop it. It's not important."

"What was she like as a girlfriend?" Yuri asked. "I imagine that would be a little scary. She's a bit… intense."

"I wouldn't know because I have never dated her."

"What? Come on, it's got to be her. You don't have to deny it; it's not like I'm judging you or anything." He could see why Flynn and Sodia could have dated. She seemed to share his hard-on for justice. They probably considered reading penal codes aloud to each other foreplay.

"No, Yuri. Please, just… just drop it."

"Well, I can't think of who else it could be." He shrugged. "You already said it's someone I know, and it was someone you met during the years we were apart after I left the knights. As far as I know, the only other girl you knew during that time is Estelle."

Flynn's blush deepened and he refused to meet Yuri's eyes.

Realization sunk into Yuri slowly. They walked in total silence for nearly a minute while Flynn tried very hard to forget that this conversation had ever happened, and Yuri tried to wrap his head around the information he'd just figured out. At the end of the minute, Yuri said, "You have got to be joking."

Flynn said nothing.

" _Estelle_?"

"It's not important."

Yuri stopped walking and grabbed Flynn's shoulders. "Flynn. _What_. You and Estelle… when? What?"

Flynn closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, resigning himself to answering the question. "It was a bit over a year ago. We had been friends for a while and decided to try a relationship. It didn't work out and we called it off after a month or so."

Flynn pulled away from him and kept walking. Once again Yuri had to pause for a moment in shock and then run to catch up with him. "I don't believe it. You dated the princess, and then you went and broke her heart by calling it off. You hound dog."

"For you information, _she_ broke up with _me_."

Yuri's mind was still reeling from the mental image of his two best friends engaged in romantic behaviour with each other. Flynn hadn't mentioned if things had gone further than a kiss, and he decided he didn't want to know. "When exactly was this?"

Flynn sighed, obviously annoyed that Yuri still hadn't dropped the subject. "I told you, about a year ago. Actually, it ended only a week or so before you met her. After she called it off, things were a bit awkward between us and we avoided each other for a few days. Then I had to leave on my pilgrimage, and she was worried that I thought she didn't want to be friends anymore. That's partly why she was so anxious to find me - she wanted to make sure I knew that even if she didn't have feelings for me, she still wanted to be friends."

All Yuri could think of saying was, "Huh."

Flynn laughed a bit. "Did I finally find your mute button? I'll have to remember this in the future."

"Ah, no, I'm just shocked that you were able to convince anyone of the opposite sex to date you." Especially since that person had been _Estelle._ He still struggled to wrap his mind around that. "So… what, do you still have feelings for her?"

Flynn shook his head. "No, not anymore. We're just friends. I admit that I was initially hurt when she broke up with me, but it was for the best in the long run. I think we're better as friends."

"I'd take that as a compliment," Yuri said. "I'm not really sure, but I have a feeling she prefers her romantic partners to be a bit more… feminine, if you know what I mean." He slapped Flynn on the shoulder. "You were just way too manly for her." Yuri was far from an expert on romance and he tended not to give it much thought, until Judy had joked with him one time about Rita and Estelle. After she'd pointed it out, he couldn't stop seeing it.

"Uh… possibly," Flynn said. "But it is not my place to speculate on Lady Estellise' love life or preference."

"Would you stop calling her that?" Yuri said. "You just told me that you've kissed the darn girl and you still won't call her 'Estelle'? I can just imagine," Yuri raised his voice to a mocking falsetto, "Ohhhh, Flynn!" and then lowered it to an equally mocking bass, "Yes, Lady Estellise." He laughed as Flynn flushed. In his normal voice he said, "What a mouthful. No wonder she dumped you."

"You know, Yuri, you are nowhere near as funny as you think you are."

Yuri was still laughing.

"This is why I never told you. I knew you would just make fun of me."

"To be fair, I make fun of you for a lot of things so it's kind of pointless to try to avoid new subjects of mockery," Yuri said.

"Hang on," Flynn said, glancing to the hill up ahead. "Yuri, do you hear something?"

"No," Yuri said, though admittedly he wasn't paying attention. "Don't try to change the subject."

"I'm serious, Yuri, I think I hear something coming."

Yuri sighed and looked ahead. "Well, maybe it's just a-"

With a loud snort and stomping hoofs, a small group of Rhinossuses trampled over the hill. Yuri drew his sword, all thought of pestering Flynn dropping from his mind. It was time to get serious. There were only three of them, but fighting hadn't been as easy for him ever since he lost his blastia. "Don't worry, we can take them."

"Yuri-"

Yuri charged forward without a second thought. He and Flynn never worked better together than when they were fighting. They knew how the other fought as well as themselves, and could fight in tandem like a choreographed dance. The first Rhinossus charged him, and he jumped to the side at the last minute to slash across its side as it stampeded past him. It had to charge forward a few feet before it could stop to turn around, and in those seconds, Yuri shouted, "Azure!" and sent a blast of energy at its back. The Rhinossus squealed and fell over onto its side. Yuri jumped forward and slammed his sword through the monster's chest until it sunk into the grass below.

With that one taken care of, he looked for his next opponent. The Rhinossus charged at him, and he took a second to glance over and see how Flynn was doing.

"Yuri!" Flynn shouted, throwing himself to the side at the last second. He hit the ground with his shoulder and rolled.

Yuri's blood ran cold. Flynn didn't have a sword. He didn't have any armour, either. Shit! How could he have forgotten that!? Yuri couldn't help him at the moment because he had the second Rhinossus to deal with. He tried to kill this one quickly. He'd battled these things many times before in his adventuring, so he could carry out the strategy of jumping aside to avoid their charge and then swiping at their sides came naturally to him. He moved quickly, adrenaline pumping. His hands almost shook as he delivered the final blow. He wasn't worried about himself; he was worried about Flynn. As soon as he finished the second Rhinossus, he turned and ran toward Flynn.

Just then, Flynn's luck ran out. He'd been doing his best to dodge and avoid the monster's charges, but he couldn't keep it up forever. The beast caught him in the gut with its tusked head and threw him to the ground. Flynn hit the ground with a grunt. The Rhinossus trampled him, Flynn throwing his arms up to protect his head.

Yuri sprinted to him as fast as he could. With a shout, he slashed his sword at the beast's side,drawing it away from Flynn. It snorted and charged at him, and he jumped to the side. Within a minute, this one was dead as well. They really weren't that much trouble to deal with… if you had a sword.

"Hey, Flynn!" Yuri sheathed his sword and ran to Flynn's side, more worried about him than he was willing to admit. Something about seeing strong, confident Flynn lying bloodied on the ground made his stomach squirm. "You alright?"

Flynn coughed and took a shaking breath. "I'm alive."

Yuri crouched and reached his arm around Flynn's shoulders to help him sit up. His arms were torn up and he had a few bleeding patches on his torso, but he didn't seem to be dying. Flynn rested one hand on his chest and took a shallow breath. "I think a few broken ribs, but I'll live. Give me a second." Light glowed around him, and a few seconds later he gasped, "First Aid." The worst of his wounds closed, though he wasn't half as proficient as Estelle. He was still roughed-up and sore, but managed to get to his feet without Yuri's help. "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry, Flynn," Yuri said, wanting to kick himself. "It completely slipped my mind that you don't have a sword." He was so used to being able to rely on Flynn that it hadn't even occurred to him that at the moment, Flynn needed Yuri to protect him. It was a weird feeling. He'd always counted on Flynn as being the rock he could fall back on, both in battle and during life in general. Having to pull Flynn's weight for the time being went against everything Yuri knew of the world.

"It's alright," Flynn said.

"When we get to Halure, I'm buying you a sword."

"That would be most welcome."

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah," Flynn said. He started walking again to prove it, though he had one arm still wrapped around his chest

They moved on, with significantly less chatting than before. With one of them unarmed, any random monster attack could be fatal. It would be awful if Flynn broke out of jail to avoid execution only to be trampled to death by some random monsters.

* * *

In the evening of their fourth day after leaving Deidon Hold, they finally reached Halure. It had been a long walk. Flynn forgot how much slower travel was without horses, and by the second day Yuri started complaining regularly about how much he missed Ba'ul. They were also slowed down by Flynn's bruised ribs. He'd been able to fix the broken bones and close the open wounds, but he was left feeling quite sore. He was relieved when he finally saw the branches of the Halure tree rising out of the horizon.

"We should be careful," Flynn said when they reached the entrance to the town. "The knights probably got here ahead of us."

"Relax," Yuri said. "We'll be fine. We're not going to the inn, so we can hopefully avoid too much notice."

"Alright." Flynn followed Yuri up the hill into town. The tree was beautiful at twilight, especially since so few people were out on the street to distract and worry him. Flynn wasn't sure where they were going, but Yuri seemed confident in their route so he trusted him.

After a short walk through petal-strewn streets, Yuri stopped in front of a small house at the end of a narrow road. He rapped on the door, and Flynn heard a familiar voice shout, "Just a minute!"

"It's probably not locked," Yuri said, trying the handle.

"Yuri, you can't just barge into someone's house!" Flynn said.

Yuri paid him no heed and barged into someone's house.

"Hey!" Rita shouted, pausing on her way to the door. "You could at least wait for me to answer the door."

"Sorry about that," Yuri said. "I didn't want to risk standing out in the open for too long. Wanted criminals, you know."

"Yeah, right, I'm sure that's what you were thinking."

Flynn still stood awkwardly in the doorway, until Rita waved her hand at him. "Well, come inside already. What are you guys doing here?"

Flynn stepped in and closed the door carefully behind him. Yuri answered, "We're on our way to Dahngrest and I thought we'd stop by. You don't have a problem with it, do you?"

"No, whatever," Rita said.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Flynn asked, looking around.

Rita walked to the table and lit a lamp, illuminating the room. "I was working this afternoon and didn't notice that it was getting dark. So, what, you guys need a place to stay tonight?"

"If you'll let us," Yuri said.

"Yeah, it's fine," Rita said. "I'd better not get arrested for harbouring fugitives or anything, though."

"Only if we get caught," Yuri said.

"If you do," Flynn said, "say we broke in and you felt threatened You won't get charged if you did it under duress."

"Accurate enough," Rita said. "What with Yuri being too impatient to wait for me to answer the door." She sat down at the table in the middle of the room. "I only have one bed, so you guys will have to sleep on the floor."

"That's fine," Flynn said. "We've camped out on the ground for a few days now."

"I'm going out, actually," Yuri said. "I need to buy a sword for Flynn so he doesn't get himself killed."

"I'll go with you," Flynn offered.

"Nah, you're more recognizable than me," Yuri said. "Better if you stay here."

"Hey, uh, Yuri?" Rita said while Flynn sat down at the other end of the table.

When she didn't immediately ask her question, Yuri looked over and said, "Hm?"

Rita shuffled her hands on the table. "This isn't really important. I was just wondering… who is Ted?"

"Huh? He's just a friend of mine," Yuri said. "Why?"

"I was just worried!" Rita said quickly. "Estelle said she's been hanging out with this friend of yours, and I don't want some rough criminal type like yourself taking advantage of her. I just want to know who this guy is!" Her cheeks turned pink.

Yuri saw her expression, and then smirked. Flynn leaned forward and buried his face in his hand, knowing precisely where Yuri was going with this. "Oh, yeah, Ted's an old friend of mine," Yuri said. "He's pretty charming. A bit of a flirt at times, but all the ladies love him. Some female friends of mine have assured me he is quite dashing."

"O-oh," Rita said. "And Estelle is hanging out with this guy?!"

"Better be careful, Rita," Yuri said on his way to the door. "Ted certainly has a way of wooing the ladies." The door slammed as Yuri made his exit.

"W-what? He - I don't-" Rita's cheeks were pink now, and Flynn couldn't help laughing a little. Rita slammed her fists on the table. "And just what are you laughing at?!"

"It may interest you to know," Flynn said, "that Ted is, in fact, twelve years old."

Rita stared at him for a long moment. "Huh?"

"He's just a kid," Flynn said. "I used to babysit him when I was a teenager."

Rita's fire died down a bit, but then immediately flared up again as another thought occurred to her. "I'm going to kill that bastard when he gets back here!"

"How have you been speaking with Lady Estellise?" Flynn asked. After his conversation with Yuri the other day, he was more determined than even to continue referring to Estelle by her formal title. He couldn't have anyone assuming they were still an item.

"Oh, I made this typewriter thing that connects to hers," Rita said, as if people invented amazing technological devices everyday.

"Oh, I recall Lady Estellise telling me about that. Would it be possible for me to use it? I'd like to let her know that Yuri and I have arrived safely."

"Yeah, sure." She waved her hand at the desk against the wall. "Just go type on the thing and see if she's there."

"Thank you." He crossed to the desk and glanced down at the paper sitting in the machine. He pulled it out and replaced it with a fresh sheet, and then glanced down at the one with the logs of Rita and Estelle's chatting. The last line was Estelle saying goodbye to Rita. "Rita," Flynn said, "what does 'less than three' mean?"

"Huh?" Rita wandered over to the desk.

"Right here," Flynn said, pointing at the last line. "Lady Estellise said 'goodbye, I'll talk to you later, less than three."

Rita blushed and snatched the paper out of his hand. "It has nothing to do with you," she snapped, crumpling it up.

The furious look in her eyes warned Flynn not to press any further. He let Rita stalk away and sat down to talk to Estelle. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, so he slowly typed out, _Hello, Lady Estellise, are you there?_

He waited about a minute, until the machine started moving on its own. Flynn sat back and watched in awe as the machine typed out a message.

_Flynn is that you? =D_

He stared at the message and frowned. "Rita, is this a mistake? Why did the message end with 'equals D'."

Rita rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's just Estelle. She thinks it looks like a happy face."

Flynn wrinkled is brow in confusion, and then Rita added, "Turn your head to the side."

Flynn twisted his neck. "Uh… it looks more like a tree to me."

"Other way, genius."

"Oh." He twisted his neck to the left. "Yes, I see." He typed a response. _Yes, hello Estellise. Yuri and I have arrived in Halure safely_. It wasn't _entirely_ safely, since Flynn still had bruised ribs from his encounter with the Rhinossus, but there was no need to worry Estelle about that.

_I'm so glad to hear that! I've been really worried about you =(._

_Please don't worry; we're perfectly fine. We received a tip in Deidon Hold and are now en route to Dahngrest to track down an assassin called Garen._

_Oh, that's great! I've got some news, too. Captain Peels' knife was found in Borden's bedroom. I also have a file that Borden was hiding in his office. I'm working on reading it, but it's hard. It's really messy and disorganized, with lots of shorthand and symbols._

Flynn frowned at this news. What Peel's knife could be doing in Borden's room was a mystery. For now, he would concentrate on the file. _That's interesting. Have you been able to determine anything about the file at all?_

_From what I can make out, it's something about the land around the Shrine of Baction =\\. There's some dispute over who owns it. Hypionia was mostly abandoned centuries ago, but with Aurnion growing and thriving, people are looking at the rest of the continent. Most people think the land is up for grabs, but apparently there was a few noble families who might have a claim to it due to who owned it in the past._

_Interesting. Let me guess: Borden is one of those families?_

_It looks like it. I don't know who the others are, though. His notes just refer to them as X and Y._

Flynn leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. Could this have something to do with his murder? Flynn had been working on the assumption that Borden was an unlucky casualty an in attempt to frame Flynn, but now there were mysterious land disputes and knives found in odd places. He was beginning to get the feeling that this was bigger than he'd thought it was. He sighed. _Continue working through the file. If you find anything, send it in a letter to Dahngrest and we can meet it there. When we catch up to the assassin in Dahngrest, we'll see if he knows anything._

_Good. Let me know as soon as you can =O!_

_How are things in Zaphias?_

Estelle knew him well enough to know what he was really asking. _Ha ha, don't worry Flynn, the Knights are continuing to function without your presence XD. Sodia is managing all of your paperwork and the finer details, and the Council is managing larger troop movements._

Flynn wasn't entirely pacified by this, because he didn't trust the Council to operate his knights. But, there was nothing to be done about it. _Is my escape paramount to their priorities?_

_Oh, yes =[. Peel and the entire Schwann Brigade - oops, don't tell Raven I called it that =3 - are out looking for you. You and Yuri had better be careful!_

_We will, I promise. Don't worry about us and focus on figuring out what's going on with this land in Hypionia._ Flynn turned around in his seat to speak to Rita. "Rita, would it be possible for Yuri and I to take this machine with us? It would be much more convenient if we could stay in contact with Estelle."

"If you want," Rita said. "Just don't break it and bring it back when this is over. It's got limited range, though. From Zaphias to Dahngrest is about as far as it can go. If you get out of range, the connection fizzles out and it's useless."

"I see. Hopefully our journey won't take us any farther than Dahngrest, anyway."

The door to Rita's house slammed over and Yuri strode inside.

"That's right, Yuri," Rita grumbled. "Don't bother knocking. Maye yourself at home."

"Thanks," Yuri said. He set a sword down on the table and said, "I got a present for you, Flynn."

"Excellent, thank you," Flynn said. "Why don't you come say hello to Lady Estellise?"

"What? Estelle is here?"

"No, but you can talk to her in Zaphias through this machine."

Yuri looked confused as he walked over to the desk. He looked down at the keyboard and accompanying paper, seemingly working out the basics of how it works. "Move over," he said. Flynn scooted to the side and Yuri leaned over the desk. He typed, _hi estel, its yuri now._

"Yuri!" Flynn said, staring at Yuri's words with second-hand embarrassment. "That is not how you spell her name. She's one of your best friends; how can you not know how to spell it?"

"Well it's not like I've ever needed to write it before!" Yuri said.

Flynn sighed. He'd worked very hard as a child to learn how to read and write, while Yuri had mostly picked it up by proxy because while Flynn was studying there wasn't anything better to do than learn with him. A lot of people in the lower quarter were illiterate, so Yuri had never given it much priority. He could read just fine, but his spelling abilities left much to be desired.

"Fine, how do you spell it?" Yuri asked.

"Well, if you want to call her 'Estelle', that's E-S-T-E-L-L-E."

"That doesn't make sense at all!" Yuri said. "What's the extra L-E for?"

"I don't know, that's just how it works. Look, she responded to you."

Sitting on the paper was the message, _Oh, hello, Yuri! =D_

Yuri slowly typed, _I cant tak long_

"Yuri, there's an L in 'talk'," Flynn said.

"Damn, language makes no sense." He tried again, _sorry, I mean talk. Flyn and I_

"Oh, for the love of… Yuri! There are two N's in my name!"

"What? Why?"

"There just are," Flynn said. He supposed he should be grateful Yuri hadn't spelled it 'Flin'.

"Yeah, whatever. Let me try again." He typed, _I mean, Nflyn and I_

Flynn smacked his forehead. "Now you're doing this on purpose."

Yuri smirked a bit. "I have no idea what you're talking about. You said two N's. I put two N's."

"Whatever. Just type."

Before he could, Estelle wrote, _Are you two fighting about spelling? =\_

 _No_ , Yuri wrote.

_You two always fight -_-. Anyway, I was just telling Flynn about some things I found. Ask him to explain to you._

_Ok. Ill talk to you again when we get back to Zaphias._

_Alright. Goodbye you guys! Please be safe! ^_^_

Yuri straightened up and walked back to the table. "This thing you made is pretty useful, Rita," he said.

"Yeah, it comes in handy." She didn't bother looking up from her book.

Flynn stood to follow him. "I suppose it works even better for people who can actually spell properly and know how to use apostrophes."

"I don't think it matters," Rita said.

Flynn scowled. He put a lot of effort into writing well, and it was very important to him in order to maintain his standing among nobles, so it was frustrating that the other two didn't seem to care at all.

Before he could make a protest, though, Yuri pulled out two pieces of paper he had brought home with the sword. "Hey, Flynn, I got this for you, too. Look, your very own wanted poster."

Flynn snatched the paper out of Yuri's hand. He didn't share Yuri's grin. Across the top in bold letters was the word "Wanted". Underneath was a rather unflattering drawing of his face. He supposed he should be thankful; with this picture, no one would recognize him. It almost looked like they'd taken the old drawing Yuri had done when they were six that still hung on Flynn's wall.

"Hey, what the…" Yuri leaned over Flynn's shoulder. "That's not fair. Mine is only for five thousand gald, but they're offering ten thousand for you!"

Flynn slammed the paper down on the table. "Is this a joke to you, Yuri?" Seeing his face on a wanted poster made everything feel so much more real. He was a _criminal_. Maybe he shouldn't have let Yuri break him out… but then what? He didn't like the idea of sitting tight for a month and then getting executed for a crime he didn't commit. He tried not to think that his parents would be ashamed of him if they could see this poster now. He had no choice. Whoever had hired that assassin had put him in this position, and he was trying his hardest to fix it, even if he had to break some rules to do so.

"Makes sense," Rita was saying. "All you did was break a man out of jail. Flynn here is a murderer."

"I am not a murderer," Flynn said stiffly. He knew she didn't mean it, but he wasn't in the mood to joke about it. This whole disaster with Borden had ruined his life, and he was quite intent on getting it back.

"Come on, Flynn," Yuri said with a smile. "Hold on to that and frame it later. Once you're the commandant again, we can look back on this and laugh."

Flynn sighed, looking down at the poster with a frown. He couldn't imagine ever thinking that anything about this was funny.

"You're always so serious about everything," Yuri said. "Lighten up, would you? You know for sure now that you didn't commit the murder, so why have you been so tight-lipped and somber since we left Deidon Hold?"

"It's nothing too serious," Flynn said. "I've just been wondering... if I wasn't sneaking out to murder Borden that night, where was I going?" He drummed his fingers on the table. "There was mud on my boots and I was seen leaving the castle. Obviously I went somewhere, but where? And why don't I remember going?"

"Hm… I don't know," Yuri said. "Maybe the assassin knows? When we catch up to him, I'll beat some answers out of him."

Flynn smiled a bit. "Thanks, Yuri." He often gave Yuri a hard time, but honestly, he couldn't think of anyone he would trust more to help him get through this.

* * *

The morning they left Halure, Yuri cooked breakfast. He was pretty sure most of the kitchen implements in Rita's house had never been used. When Rita stumbled out of her room midway through frying bacon and stared at him in confusion, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Sorry," Yuri said. "I didn't think you'd mind if I helped myself to your cupboards."

Rita stared at him through half-lidded eyes, her hair a tousled mess, and the muttered, "Whatever," on her way to the coffee maker.

"There's enough for you, too," Yuri said.

"Oh, great," Rita said without much enthusiasm.

From the floor, Yuri heard and rustle and then Flynn's head popped up from behind the table, giving Rita run for her money in the messy hair competition. It had always amused Yuri how much effort Flynn went through every morning to try to get his hair to stay somewhat flat. "Are you cooking, Yuri?"

"Nope," Yuri said, standing over the stove and flipping the bacon over.

"Smells good."

"Of course it does; you're not touching it." The eggs in the other pan were nearly done. He missed cooking. He lacked the equipment in his room in the lower quarter to cook properly, and cooking over a campfire the last few days had hardly resulted in culinary marvels.

Behind him, Flynn shuffled over to the table. Yuri heard the rustling of paper, and smirked a bit in expectation.

"Yuri."

Right on cue. Innocently, he said, "Yes?"

"Did you draw a moustache on my wanted poster?"

"What do you think?" With a spatula, he portioned the bacon and eggs out onto three plates. He carried all three at once, one balancing precariously in the crook of his arm, to the table.

Flynn stared at the wanted poster, which now featured a rather spectacular moustache hastily drawn in black pen. All Flynn could muster was a single, "Why?"

"I thought you were going for the facial hair thing now."

Flynn frowned and his hand want to his rough face. In all the chaos of getting arrested and then being on the run, he hadn't had a chance to shave in the morning since the day before his arrest, over a week ago. As a result, his chin was covered in more scruff than Yuri had seen on him in ages.

"I don't suppose you have a razor I can borrow, do you?" Flynn asked Rita.

With her eyes half-closed she said, "Nope. I can't be bothered with that," before returning to her eggs.

Flynn sighed. "This is regrettable."

"Relax," Yuri said, dipping his bacon in the egg yolk. "Just think, no one will recognize you if you look like a hairy apeman."

Flynn sat across from him and ate his eggs with a knife and fork. "You're just mad because you still can't grow facial hair."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yuri said idly.

"You haven't shaved any more than I have, but you're still as clean-faced as a ten-year-old."

"That's not true," Yuri protested. He raised his head and pointed at his chin. "Look, right here, I'm starting a beard."

Flynn leaned forward and squinted. "Oh, yes, I see now." In a quick movement, he reached out his hand and plucked the hair off Yuri's chin.

"Hey!" Yuri put his hand to his chin defensively, although it wasn't like he had any more hairs to guard.

"Too bad," Flynn said. "You'll have to restart your efforts to grow a beard."

"I'll show you one of these days," Yuri said.

"I'm sure you will."

For whatever reason, Yuri had not once in his life managed to grow successful facial hair. It wasn't that he _wanted_ a beard; he just thought it would be nice to know that the option existed. On the plus side, he never had to worry about shaving. He recalled some of his comrades being annoyed with him during his time in the knights, where clean-shaven faces were mandatory and the rest of the guys had to shave every morning without fail or risk being reprimanded.

Yuri scowled at Flynn. "Yeah, well, you know what they say. Growing a lot of facial hair means you're more likely to go bald. I'll be admiring my luxurious locks in my reflection on your shiny head when we're older."

"Would you guys shut up?" Rita snapped. "It's way too early for me to deal with your bickering." The coffee maker binged, and she got to her feet to get herself a mug. She didn't offer any to Yuri or Flynn.

They left Halure soon after breakfast, slipping out of town without notice.


	6. Street Rat

"Damn, I never realized how much I appreciated Ba'ul until I went back to travelling by foot," Yuri said when they reached the base of Ehmead Hill a couple of days later. He sat down on a tree stump to rest his tired feet.

"So you've said, many times." Flynn leaned against a tree trunk next to him. "If you keep up your whining, I'll start thinking you've grown soft."

"Oh, _I'm_ the one who's grown soft?" Yuri said. "Who's the guy who lives in the cushy palace with servants waiting on him hand and foot? Do they help you get dressed in the morning? I've heard that's a thing."

Flynn gave him an annoyed look. "Well, you're the one resting. I'm ready to keep going."

"Yeah, alright, let's go." Yuri hopped up to his feet and then started walking up the hill before Flynn could lead the way. The trip from Halure had been mostly uneventful. There had been a few monster attacks, but now that Flynn had a sword and was able to defend himself they hadn't been a challenge. Yuri was about to break through the bushes when Flynn grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

"Wha-"

"Sh!" Flynn hissed, dragging Yuri into a bush. "Knights."

Yuri crawled to the edge of the bush and peeked through the leaves. Sure enough, a handful of knights stood on the trail. "Damn," Yuri whispered. "Looks like they're waiting for us."

"Ehmead Hill creates a bottleneck on the western end of the Peyoccian Plains," Flynn said in a low voice. "It is also one of the only paths out of Ilyccia. They must have guessed we'd be trying to leave the continent. Setting up a roadblock here is what I would have done."

"You must be so proud of them," Yuri said. "Hey, look, it's the Tweedles."

"The what?" Flynn asked.

"You know, those clowns that run around after Leblanc."

"Oh, Adecor and Boccos."

Yuri considered it rather telling that Flynn needed no further clarification beyond 'Leblanc's clowns'. "Looks like there's about a dozen of them."

"We could take them," Flynn said, "but I'd rather find another way around."

"Yeah," Yuri said. "Don't worry, I know an alternate route. It's a bit more of a hassle, but safer than the road."

"Alright. Lead the way." Flynn gestured with his hand, and Yuri crawled through the bush further up the hill.

He led Flynn through the bushes, until they were far enough away from the road that they could stand without being spotted. "There's a path around here," Yuri said. "But it's a beast path, so there's likely to be some monsters. Not many people know about it, though, so we shouldn't have any trouble from the knights."

"Excellent," Flynn said. "How do you know about it?"

"Stumbled onto it the last time I was a fugitive." Yuri broke through some bushes and found himself on a narrow, grassy path lined with birch trees. "Yeah, here it is." There were monster footprints on the ground, but they didn't look fresh. Flynn made a small grumble of irritation as they started along the path, and Yuri glanced back at him. "What's with that look?"

"It's nothing," Flynn said. "I was just thinking, you seem very cavalier about being a fugitive multiple times."

Yuri shrugged. "Only twice. Well… I guess more if you count all the times I ran from the knights for an afternoon or so. But this is only my second time being a fugitive for an extended trip."

Flynn frowned, and then said, "This is my first time. I'm not sure I like it much. I don't understand how you can be so calm about this. I haven't had a relaxed night of sleep since before Borden's murder."

Yuri sighed. He was having to do a lot more comforting on this trip than he'd been prepared for. "What good will lying awake fretting do? Relax, what's the worst that could happen?"

With a completely straight face, Flynn said, "I could be arrested, tried as guilty, and executed for a crime I did not commit."

"Uh… ok, yes, there's that," Yuri said. "But, that's not really going to happen. If we get caught, Estelle will help us break out again. And, come on, do you really think Ioder will let you get executed? He's the emperor - I'm sure he can pull some strings and get you life imprisonment or something. If that happens, we just break you out again."

"That still leaves me spending the rest of my life on the run," Flynn said. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to whine this much."

"No, it's ok," Yuri said. "Your whole life just fell apart, after all."

"Gee, thanks. You know," Flynn said a bit wistfully, "I really used to believe in the phrase 'the innocent have nothing to fear.'"

"Hold on," Yuri said, holding up his hand and pausing next to a large red flower. "Just let me warn you to stay away from these flowers."

"What are they?" Flynn asked, watching it warily.

"Dillydally something or other," Yuri said. He was pretty sure that was wrong, but Estelle had only mentioned it in passing a year ago, so he thought he deserved points for even getting it half-right.

"Oh, billybally leaf?" Flynn said.

"Yeah, that," Yuri said. "You heard of it?"

Flynn nodded. "I've heard some nobles in Zaphias have tried domesticating it in private gardens but keep stunning themselves. Lady Estellise mentioned it."

"Estelle, huh?" Yuri said with a smirk. "Was this something she told you about while you two lovebirds were snuggling?"

Flynn's face flushed. "Yuri! That has nothing to do with it. You know how Estellise is; she reads things in books all day and then she just wants to share her knowledge so she tended to regale me with trivia every time we met."

"And is that what made you fall _passionately_ in love with her?" Yuri asked. "Trivia from books is a big turn-on for you, then?"

Flynn was looking very much like he thought telling Yuri about his past relationship with Estelle was the single worst decision he had ever made in his entire life - a life which included the decision to follow Alexei's orders up until Estelle's kidnapping. He tried in vain to retain his composure. "Yuri, that was over a year ago. It is in the past and does not need to be discussed."

In contrast to Flynn, the discovery of Flynn's past relationship was one of the best things that had ever happened to Yuri. Flynn and Estelle were Yuri's two best friends in the entire world, but the mental image of those two socially awkward dorks trying to go on a date made him laugh so hard tears came to his eyes.

"And just what exactly is so funny?" Flynn demanded.

Flynn said they'd kissed. Oh, geeze, now he was picturing Flynn and Estelle sitting awkwardly in Flynn's room, nervously trying to figure out where hands and lips were supposed to go like a couple of twelve-year-olds. The image was completed by Flynn also trying in vain to maintain the correct level of respect toward the princess, and the two of them saying things like 'is this right?' 'I read about this in one of my romance novels,' and 'is it alright if I put my hand on your shoulder?'. Yuri wrapped one hand around his gut and choked out, "How did you even manage to kiss her?"

"That is not important and it is a private matter between Lady Estellise and myself."

"When you say you kissed her, did you _actually_ kiss her, or did you give her a quick peck on the cheek and that was scandalous enough for you?" Flynn was the only person Yuri had ever met who had the ability to cock-block himself. Yuri wasn't sure if this was an ability to be proud of.

"That is none of your business. Let us move on." Flynn started walking again, but Yuri caught his arm and pulled him back.

"Wait, please, I need to know - who asked who out first?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It was you, right? The gentleman asking the lady out, right?"

"I'm not speaking about this topic any further than I already have."

"How did she react?" He shifted his posture to imitate Estelle, though his experience acting was limited to skulking around on stage for a few minutes in Nam Cobanda that one time, so it was more of a general female imitation. He flipped his hand and raised his voice to say, "Oh, Flynn! Of course I would love to date such a noble and dashing knight like yourself!"

Flynn's face gradually shifted from embarrassment to anger. "Stop it, Yuri."

"You're just so brave, and chivalrous, and perfect, and strong-"

"Yuri!"

On the plus side, in his anger Flynn had completely forgotten about his misery over his life blowing up, so Yuri's plan had worked all along. Though, he was a bit afraid that his plan had worked a little _too_ well, because Flynn was past distracted by this point and into full-blown fury. It was too late for Yuri to stop, though. "You probably insisted on always buying dinner even though she's way richer than you just because you're a gentleman."

Flynn's fist hit his jaw before he even had a chance to realize it was coming. "That is _enough_!" Flynn shouted.

The punch sent Yuri staggering backward, one hand clutching his face, the other pinwheeling around to try to regain his balance. He ended up crashing right into the large red flower they were still standing in front of. As he collided with it, the flower let out a puff of yellow pollen like a sneeze. Yuri saw this and tried to remember to hold his breath, but it was too late.

The horizon shifted, and his vision spiralled in circles as a wave of vertigo took hold in his brain. At the same time, his body suddenly felt like he'd just run a marathon and all his muscles turned to jelly. He had about a second to say, "Uh-oh," before his knees gave out and he collapsed.

"Yuri!" Flynn said, all anger instantly replaced with concern. He managed to catch Yuri and lower him the rest of the way to the ground, and then dragged him a few feet away from the flower, to avoid getting hit by it himself. "Are you alright?"

Yuri lay on the grass and stared up at Flynn. He tried to get up, but couldn't seem to make his muscles move. But, he wasn't in pain and he knew from Karol's example that the effects would fade with time, so he tried to tell Flynn that he was alright. Unfortunately, his tongue felt thick and heavy and he couldn't get his jaw to move properly, so all he managed was an unintelligible mumble.

Flynn creased his brow. "Yuri?"

He babbled again, but realized this was pointless and groaned in frustration. "I an eel 'y ongue," he tried to say.

"Are you injured? Do you need medical attention? I can't remember if Lady Estellise said billybally leaf pollen was a serious medical emergency."

Yuri planned on saying, 'I'm fine, just give me half an hour or so and it will fade away.' What actually came out was a stream of gibberish. He felt guilty, because Flynn was obviously worrying his ass off when there was nothing to be concerned about.

Flynn frowned, and then said, "Alright, blink once for 'no' and twice for 'yes'. Are you hurt?"

Yuri closed his eyes for a second and then stared back at Flynn, making his message as clear as possible.

Flynn visibly relaxed some. "Good. Is there anything I can do to help?"

As far as Yuri knew, even healing artes couldn't speed up the process of recovery, so he blinked once again.

"So, the effects will fade away on their own, right?"

Yuri blinked twice. This was the most frustrating game of twenty questions he had ever played.

Flynn sighed in relief. "Good, so you're alright. That means I don't have to feel sorry for you."

Yuri let out another stream of angry sounds. He had tried to say 'you're the one that pushed me!' but it didn't work out.

"I only pushed you because you were being an immature asshole." Luckily, Flynn knew him well enough to work this out. "Well, no point sitting around here. I'll carry you."

"Oh!" Yuri said, the closest he could get to 'no'.

"Yes," Flynn said. "We don't have time to waste sitting around waiting for you to get feeling back in your legs."

Yuri growled in frustration as Flynn reached under him and hefted him up into a fireman's carry. Flynn carefully balanced Yuri across his shoulders, and wrapped one arm around Yuri's knees.

"Ut ee ow!" Yuri tried.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you." With his other hand he gripped Yuri's wrist to keep him from falling, and then started moving again.

"Uck oo," Yuri grumbled, resigning himself to his fate.

Flynn carried him down the trail. Occasionally Yuri's head smacked into overhanging bushes, which did little to improve his mood.

"So, Yuri," Flynn said, "now that for once you won't have a sarcastic comment to add, let's talk. Yes, Lady Estellise and I dated briefly last year. To clarify all your questions, no, she was the one who instigated it, yes, I kissed her, yes, that is as far as we went. This is the last I'm going to talk about it. If you really want to know more, you will have to speak with Lady Estellise. It's none of your business."

True agony was having a whole list of sarcastic comments in his mind but being physically unable to say any of them.

"There's something else that's been on my mind," Flynn said.

Yuri tried to kick him to tell him that it wasn't fair to hold him hostage while talking about his feelings. Try as he might, he couldn't get his legs to move.

"I know that someone else committed the murder," Flynn said. "But I still wonder where I went that night. It bothers me that I can't remember. What if this memory loss is a sign of a more serious issue?"

Yuri grunted, trying to tell his friend not to worry so much.

"I know you're trying to tell me not to worry. That's why I want to talk about it now, because you telling me to stop worrying doesn't help." Flynn sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well, even before this mess with Borden started. I'm tired all the time, I skip lunch a couple of times a week, and I know most of the Council doesn't think I deserve my position. The trouble is… sometimes I think they're right. All the great deeds that I've been promoted for were actually accomplished by you. I rode on your coattails all the way to the most powerful rank in the knights, and I feel like I don't deserve it. Half the time I have no idea what I'm doing. The paperwork piles up on my desk faster than I am physically able to complete it, to the point where sometimes I consider just screaming and throwing the lot of it out the window. I'm finally in a position to fulfill our dream and change the empire for the better, but I'm afraid the stress of the job is going to burn me out before I can achieve it. Because of that, I'm stressed about how stressed I am."

Yuri lay silently and listened, which was his only option at the moment. It was just as well, because he had no idea what to say to make Flynn feel better. Patting his shoulder and telling him everything would be fine probably wouldn't be enough. It was frustrating, because when the people he cared about were suffering he wanted to make it better, but there wasn't anything he could do to fix this situation.

"I'm telling you all this because I _can't_ tell anyone at the castle," Flynn said, shifting Yuri's weight. "If I show any sign of weakness or hesitation, the Council will eat me alive."

Another branch smacked Yuri in the face. This slightly diminished his sympathy for Flynn, but only just. Yuri was uncomfortable, with Flynn's shoulder digging into his chest, and getting carried like an invalid made him glad that Flynn was the only one here to see this.

"That's why I'm worried that I completely forgot that evening," Flynn said. Yuri got the feeling he was talking to himself more than talking to Yuri. "I've heard that severe stress can affect memory. Is this problem going to get worse? Is this the first sign that I'm fizzing out?

Yuri wished he could move his legs so that he could kick Flynn. Flynn had always been like this, worrying over every little thing. His attention to detail was what enabled him to do so well in the first place, but Yuri wasn't surprised to see it coming around to bite him in his pedantic ass.

"Maybe spending this time away from Zaphias will be good for me."

Yeah, that's right, Yuri wanted to say. Treat this like an unusually exciting vacation.

"I know you're probably telling me to shut up and stop being so serious. I'm sorry I've always been a stick-in-the-mud. Sometimes I can't believe you're still friends with me."

Yuri was about grunt a reply, but the crack of twigs in the brush distracted him.

"Although," Flynn was saying, "it's also amazing that I'm still friends with you."

There was definitely something coming, but Flynn hadn't noticed it yet. "Uh-ing's uhng!" Even Yuri knew that had sounded nothing like 'something's coming'.

"You give me almost as many headaches as my job does," Flynn said.

"Uh!" Yuri grunted.

"What's wrong?" Flynn glanced over at Yuri in concern. Seconds later, a pair of Basilisks crawled out of the bushes with a hiss. "Crap," Flynn whispered. He dropped Yuri to the ground, saying, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"'Y 'ero," Yuri grunted, a bit annoyed at how roughly he'd hit the ground. A root dug into the small of his back, while Flynn ran forward to battle with the Basilisks. Lying uselessly on the ground while a battle went on ten feet from him was the most frustrating feeling in the world. More than anything he wanted to be up and swinging a sword around with Flynn, but here he was, lying on the ground with a bush in his face. It tickled his nose. A flash of movement caught his eye, and seconds later a small bird fluttered down and landed on his cheek.

Oh, for the love of… _Get off!_ He mentally screamed at the bird as it hopped across his face. He let out a puff of air, trying to frighten it away. The bird stood on his cheek and looked down at his eye, cocking its head to the side. It twittered a bit and hopped up to his forehead, where it pecked him. Yuri's eyes went as far to the side of his head as he could manage and saw Flynn block a clawed swipe from a Basilisk. One of them was dead at his feet already, but Yuri couldn't wait for him to finish.

Ow. This bird's beak was sharp. It pecked at his bangs, and Yuri felt something drip down his forehead. Oh, hell, had the stupid bird actually drawn blood? Great. He had officially been injured by a bird the size of his fist. This was not one of his better days. The bird grabbed a mouthful of his hair in its beak, and then its tiny clawed feet pressed against his face as it took off. It yanked to a stop with a strong tug on Yuri's roots.

 _Get off my head you stupid bird!_ A chorus of swear words ran through his head as the little bird tried again to fly away with some of his hair. The drop of blood from before tickled his face as it trickled down his forehead. _As soon as I can move again I'm going to pluck you and cook you for dinner!_

The Basilisk shrieked as Flynn drove his sword through his neck. Oh, thank the heavens, he could come and save Yuri from… a little bird… oh, dammit, he did _not_ need rescuing from this!

Yuri heard heavy footsteps and then Flynn crouched next to him. "What the… hey, little guy, what do you want with Yuri's hair?" Flynn reached out and gently shooed the bird away, and then smirked a bit. "I think he was trying to use your hair to build a nest."

Yuri glared at Flynn, trusting that they had known each other long enough for Flynn to interpret the look as, _If you ever mention this to anyone I will murder you_.

Flynn reached out and wiped his thumb across Yuri's forehead to wipe up the blood. "Yuri, I hope you know that I came out of that battle unscathed. You are officially more injured than I am." Flynn covered his mouth and tried to stifle a laugh. "I - I'm sorry, Yuri," he said through laughs. "I know you're hurt, but you look so angry. I don't think I've seen you this disgruntled in years." Still laughing, he pulled Yuri back up onto his shoulders. "Come on, let's get you out of here before you succumb to butterflies next."

Yuri stared at the ground in fury. At the very least, Flynn laughing at Yuri's displeasure was better than him being miserable about work.

* * *

A few days later, they arrived in Capua Nor. It was a relief to see it after all their travel, but Flynn's eyes were locked on the the sight of Capua Torim across the harbour. That's where they needed to be. The empire's strength diminished significantly once you got beyond Ilyccia, so maybe once they crossed to Tolbyccia he could rest easier. Yuri strode into the town without a care in the world, but Flynn couldn't help noticing the wanted posters on the wall of the nearest building. How could Yuri be so blasé about this?

Flynn's hand went to his chin again, wondering if his layer of stubble really was enough to obscure his identity. He hoped so, because then at least this damn beard would be good for something. He never let it grow out like this. Even when on the road with the knights, he always managed to shave. It felt so uncivilized, and the fact that he hadn't been able to bathe properly in over a week, coupled with wearing Yuri's old shirts, made it hard to remember that he was a dignified commander of the Knights. Luckily, it made it hard for everyone else to realize he was the dignified commandant, too. People didn't see a commandant where they didn't expect to.

"Man, I'm starving," Yuri said.

They had run out of their food supplies at lunch, no thanks to Yuri. Flynn had carefully rationed out their supplies to last their journey to Capua Nor, and a few times had to fight Yuri off to convince him that he really didn't want to eat his dinner ration for lunch, even if he was still a bit hungry. "We should stock up on food, find a room at the inn, and then figure out transport across the straight to Torim Harbour."

"Yeah, about that…" Yuri said. "We might have some trouble buying things. We have hardly any money left. I spent a good chunk of it on a sword for you, and now we just have a bit under one hundred left."

"Damn," Flynn muttered. The sword at his waist suddenly felt guilty, but at the same time he couldn't say that the sword was a useless luxury. They'd been attacked by monsters several times while travelling, and if he didn't have a sword to defend himself with, they might not have made it this far. However, they couldn't buy dinner, a room at the inn, and passage to Tolbyccia on a hundred gald.

Yuri frowned. "Alright… we can worry about crossing the harbour tomorrow. For tonight, we need food and shelter. You take the money and get us a room at the inn. I'll take care of getting dinner."

"But how are you going to get dinner if you don't have… oh." Yuri didn't meet his eyes. Flynn's shoulders slumped as he realized what Yuri was planning. Throughout their childhood, Yuri had been kind enough not to tell Flynn when he'd stolen their dinner. Flynn wouldn't have been able to eat it if he knew for sure, and when you're stomach was turning inside out with hunger it was easy to pretend you had no idea if you hadn't been explicitly told. He hated the idea of stealing, but they also needed a place to sleep tonight. He had rationed out their basic barriers and they were out of those now, too, so camping outside the city might be dangerous.

"Don't worry about it," Yuri said. "The head of Fortune's Market is a friend of mine… sort of. I bet I can work something out and have them send the bill to Karol or something."

Flynn could tell Yuri wasn't too confident in this possibility, but his stomach grumbled and, just like he was a child again, he decided to believe it. "Alright. I'll take care of the inn and you take care of dinner. We'll meet up in front of the inn an hour from now."

"Alright. I'll be back with food."

He gave Flynn that friendly, enigmatic smile that took Flynn back to years ago. Flynn hadn't thought they would ever need to have this exchange again, but here they were, Yuri sneaking off to 'acquire' food with dubious legality. Just like they had when they were kids, Flynn sighed and turned his back, feeling like a traitor to his morals but too hungry to argue. It felt like everything that had happened since he joined the Knights had been a dream, and now he had woken up back to the dirty, hungry reality he'd grown up in.

Flynn walked to the inn. It was a nice building, and he felt out of place in his travel-weary state. After so many nights camping out in the middle of nowhere, it would be nice to stay indoors for once. He could have a nice shower, and shave off this itchy scruff, and sleep in a real bed… geeze, maybe Yuri was right. Living in the castle _had_ made him soft if he was longing for his cushy bed after just over a week. The young man at the front desk accepted his money without question when Flynn asked for one double room, and handed over a key.

"Enjoy your stay," the man said without really looking at him.

"Thank you." On his way out of the lobby, a posh-looking woman gave him a dirty look, no doubt unhappy that she was expected to share an inn with such a ragged guest.

Outside, he sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall, waiting for Yuri to return with food. He'd spent the last of their money getting a room for tonight, so he wasn't sure how they were going to get across the harbour. He had a glum feeling that Yuri was going to suggest stowing away, and an even more glum feeling that he didn't have any other suggestions to keep them from doing that. It bothered him that he was breaking so many laws on this journey with Yuri. He had always prided himself on being an upstanding individual, but now that the odds were stacked against him, he was behaving like a common criminal. After all the laws he was breaking to try to clear his name, did he even deserve to go back to being the commandant? _It's different_ , he thought. It wasn't like he was breaking them because he felt entitled to. Laws had been broken to incriminate him, and wasn't allowing the true culprit to get off scot-free a bigger crime than jail break and stealing dinner?

The woman from the lobby left, glancing dismissively at him as she went. This whole journey really was like a nostalgic trip through childhood, complete with wealthy people looking down their nose at him and thinking he and Yuri were too dirty and poor to associate with.

He took a deep breath, and waited patiently for Yuri to return. His mind drifted to Zaphias, and wondering how Estelle was holding up. He hoped she'd made a breakthrough on the land in Hypionia, because he'd been thinking about it for days and couldn't come up with answers. He pushed that from his mind and instead worried about work, which was familiar territory for him. He trusted Sodia to take care of things in theory, but Flynn couldn't rest easy unless he'd done everything himself so he could know it was done properly. Come to think of it, that attitude was probably why he always felt so overwhelmed by paperwork.

About ten minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching. He was about to look up, but froze with his eyes glued to the road when he heard a voice.

"I say, that woman was lying! That's not our commandant, it's just more street riffraff!"

Flynn didn't dare look up, not even to check if Boccos and Leblanc accompanied Adecor. Who was he kidding, of course they would be. Maybe if he kept his eyes on the ground, they would pass over him.

"Hold on…" Leblanc said, walking forward. Flynn's shoulders tensed. "You there, let me see your face."

Flynn didn't move right away. As soon as he gave them a good look at his face, he'd be caught. He should run, but could he outrun them? He'd always been better at raw strength and defence than agility or speed. He slowly got to his feet and turned to face Leblanc, the light from the streetlamp illuminating his face.

Boccos gasped. "Commandant! It's you!"

"I say, you look terrible!"

"Lieutenant Leblanc," Flynn said, ignoring the two lackeys' astonishment at his dishevelled appearance, "your time would be better spent in Zaphias tracking down the real culprit."

Leblanc shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, sir, but these are our orders. Honestly, none of us think you're the killer, but you _did_ break out of jail. Besides, sir, if you don't come back, you'll be found guilty for sure!"

"My time is better spent catching the real killer. Stand down and return to Zaphias."

"I say, you can't give us orders right now!"

It had been worth a shot. Flynn had hoped the Schwann Brigade's keenness to follow orders would allow him to command them even though he had temporarily lost his authority, but apparently even they weren't so stupid to forget about that.

"Please, sir," Leblanc said. "Don't make this difficult for yourself. We want to help you, but orders are orders and you need to return to Zaphias."

Flynn carefully took in the street. If he turned and ran backward, he'd end up outside the city again. He couldn't spend the night in the wilderness alone, so he'd need to re-enter eventually and it would be far too easy for them to set up an ambush for him at the city's entrance. Besides, he needed to meet up with Yuri. He would need to get past these knights and then flee into the city. He sighed, and then said, "Very well." He stepped forward and held out his hands.

Leblanc's face brightened. "Very good, sir! You can be assured you will be well taken care of in our custody."

Leblanc reached down to pull out a pair of handcuffs, and in his distraction Flynn lunged at him, knocking him backward into Adecor. Both of them fell to the ground with a shout, and then Flynn leapt over them with a quick, "Sorry!" and dashed down the street. He was half a block away by the time they got to their feet and followed him. Flynn rounded a corner and kept going. It was already late evening, so the streets were mostly deserted. It would have been easier if he could slip into the crowds and disappear, but he'd have to deal with just putting as much distance between them as he could.

He took a shortcut through an alley and ended up on a new street. He paused for a moment, glancing back and forth to figure out which way to go. He didn't know Capua Nor all that well, so he took a wild guess and hoped right would treat him well. He ran down the street, but when he rounded the corner he spotted the Schwann Brigade coming toward him a block away. Shoot, maybe right had been a bad idea.

"There he is!" Boccos shouted, pointing.

"Commandant!" Leblanc boomed. "Come back here!"

Flynn turned and dashed back the way he had come, while Adecor shouted, "Return here at once, I say!"

His heart thudded both from exertion and panic. How the hell did Yuri always find running from the knights _fun_? He was not enjoying this at all! He occasionally passed the odd person wandering the streets, but he always rushed by them before they knew what was going on. He could hear the Schwann Brigade's footsteps behind him, but didn't waste his time looking back to see how close. What would Yuri do in this situation? He recalled several times in their childhood that Yuri would come swinging in through the window, having escaped by dashing across rooftops. Perhaps he should try that? He turned down an alley, hoping to find a fire escape ladder he might use to get up off the ground.

Instead he found a high brick wall cutting off his exit. There were stacks of crates by the wall that he could probably use to climb over it. The knights were right behind him, so he dashed forward. _Dammit, dammit, dammit_ , he thought with every step. He placed his foot on one of the crates, but the moment he put his weight on it, the old wood splintered and cracked. The whole crate fell to pieces, sending Flynn toppling backward. He hit the ground with a grunt, just as the knights reached the end of the alley.

"Well, well, well."

Flynn looked over with a scowl. Somewhere during the chase Captain Peel had joined in, and he now stood at the end of the alley with a confident smirk. Flynn glared at him, trying to look intimidating even though he was sitting on the ground in a dirty alley surrounded by the shattered pieces of both a mouldy crate and his dignity.

"How the mighty have fallen," Peel said. "Just goes to show, once a street rat, always a street rat. Turn yourself in, Commandant, before you make this worse for yourself."

Flynn got to his feet carefully, avoiding the splintered wood. He took a deep breath to get air back after his run. "You're making a mistake, Peel. Tell the Council I will be back in Zaphias in time for the trial, and I'll be bringing the proper culprit with me."

"That won't be necessary," Peel said, striding forward. "I intend to return to Zaphias tonight with the proper culprit."

Flynn drew his sword. "You've got a problem, then, because I didn't do it."

Peel pulled out his sword as well. "If you really were innocent, you would have no reason to fear going to trial."

"Sir…" Boccos said hesitantly, "we can't draw blades against the commandant…"

"I'm not going back to Zaphias without the assassin," Flynn said. "If you plan on stopping me, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to fight."

"Stop trying to pin this on some imaginary assassin," Peel said. "We both know you did it, so turn yourself in and face the punishment for your actions."

There was no point drawing this out. He had no interest in fighting with his comrades, so as soon as he had an opening he'd make a run for it. Running away wasn't exactly the most honourable course of action, but it was better than fighting and possibly injuring his own subordinates. "Demon Fang!" He ran forward, following the flash of light. Peel leapt to the side to avoid it, and Flynn darted past him.

Leblanc and the others braced themselves at the end of the alley. Flynn wasn't concerned about Adecor and Boccos, and focused on Leblanc. He smashed the flat of his sword at Leblanc's face, forcing Leblanc to throw his arm up and take a step back. Flynn pressed forward, but before he could leave the alley, Boccos swung his spear and caught him in the gut. Flynn grunted and took a step back, while also raising his arm to block a blow from Leblanc.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Boccos said. "We cannot allow you to leave!"

Flynn was more frustrated than worried. None of them wanted to actually hurt the other, so he wasn't worried about actual injury, but he did need to get away from these guys and get back to Yuri. He took a few more steps back, feet splashing in the shallow puddle against the wall.

"Surrender, I say!"

Flynn brought his sword around fast enough to block Adecor's clumsy swipe, and then leapt up when Boccos attempted to trip him with his spear. He missed having a shield. It had been a long time since he'd fought without one, and the absence of its protective weight in his left hand threw him off. He took another step back, but his heel hit the wall of the alley. He mentally swore; there wasn't enough room in this alley to fight properly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Peel approaching him from the other side.

"Beast!" A burst of blue smashed toward the Schwann Brigade and knocked them off their feet, giving him the chance to turn around just in time and defend himself against Peel. To his surprise, Peel swung his sword at him aggressively, edge-first. After half-fighting with Leblanc and the others, switching to full-strength caught him off guard. It was all he could do to hold Peel off with his back against the wall. The clanks of sword-on-sword echoed through the alley.

"What are you-" Flynn grunted, speaking between parries, "trying to - do!?"

"C-Captain," Leblanc said, on his feet again. "Be careful, you don't want to accidentally injure the commandant."

"He's not the commandant any more," Peel said, while Flynn leaned to the side to avoid a stab to his shoulder. "He's just a-" Flynn gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block a powerful blow, "- _murderer!_ "

The hateful glare in Peel's eyes took Flynn by surprise. A shiver ran down his spine and he got the sick feeling that Peel was actually trying to kill him. He had always known that Peel wasn't fond of him personally, but he'd never doubted that at his core he was a good, loyal knight. Flynn was on the defensive now, with his back against the wall, and the Schwann Brigade cutting off his exit. He was in trouble. If he threw down his sword and surrendered, he wasn't even positive Peel would let up and just arrest him.

He took a deep breath and in a single second opening he shouted, "Beast!" and blasted Peel backward. Peel stumbled away. It took a second for Flynn to be able to jump into action again after using the arte, but that second was long enough for Leblanc to smash Flynn's arm against the wall with the flat of his sword. In his distraction, Boccos rammed the shaft of his spear behind him and then swung it out, catching him behind the knees and sending him crashing down. He dropped his sword and landed in the puddle with a splash.

Leblanc swiftly kicked the sword away and held his sword out. It wavered a bit and Leblanc sounded nervous as he said, "I'm sorry. Please don't think ill of us, Commandant, but these are our orders."

Flynn took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly to keep from lashing out. He was irritated, but not at Leblanc. Flynn knew he was committing a felony by breaking out and he couldn't hold it against the knights for doing their job and trying to bring him in. He was frustrated with this entire situation, with whoever had hired the assassin in the first place, and with Peel for being rather cavalier with his attacks earlier. "It's alright," he said to Leblanc. "You have no reason to fear punishment once I've returned to my post. You're only doing your duties."

"Ha!" Peel said, getting to his feet. "You're rather confident that you'll be getting your job back."

"Seeing as I am innocent of the crime I've been accused of, I see no reason I shouldn't be." The dirty water from the puddle he'd fallen in seeped through his pants and froze his legs.

"Of course he'll return to his post," Boccos said.

"I say, that should be obvious!" Adecor sheathed his sword. "Once this mess is sorted out, things will go back to normal in no time!"

Leblanc nodded. "We have the utmost confidence in Commandant Flynn, sir."

Peel snorted and held his sword out. Flynn couldn't help noting that it was a lot more confidant than Leblanc's hesitant threat. "You should enjoy your popularity while it lasts, Flynn," Peel said. "Do you know what you are? A dancing bear."

"A… pardon?" Flynn had prepared himself for an insult, but he wasn't entirely sure how to take that. He shivered a bit from his cold legs.

"You see, everyone loves a dancing bear. The bear doesn't actually dance _well_ , but everyone is just so impressed that the bear can dance at all that nobody pays attention to that. Right now, everyone loves noble Commandant Flynn because they're so amazed that a street rat from the lower quarter can manage to do this job at all. Once the novelty wears off, everyone will get bored of you and see you for what you really are: a stupid animal blundering around in a profession you were never born for."

Flynn glared back at him. There really wasn't much point arguing with him. The only counter-point Flynn could make was 'no I'm not' which was the most juvenile argument in the history of communication. He had no doubt there were plenty of nobles - and probably some commoners too - who saw him that way, but the only way he could prove them wrong was through his actions. Kneeling in a puddle in a dark alley did not give him many opportunities to prove otherwise, so he'd let the insult slide for now. He vaguely wondered just how much lower Peel's respect for him would slide if he learned that at least half of Flynn's accomplishments actually belonged to Yuri.

Leblanc frowned. "Sir, that's…."

"Be quiet, Lieutenant," Peel snapped. "I must admit I'm enjoying this."

Like that wasn't painfully obvious.

"I always knew you were just another dirty commoner. You should feel relieved - you are finally back to where you belong."

Flynn certainly didn't feel at home kneeling in a puddle with a sword in his face, though he had to admit he saw where Peel was coming from. He was cold, he was hungry, he was wet, he was dirty, and his beard was itchy and horribly untidy. All in all, he felt terrible and part of him wondered if letting himself get arrested might be a better option. He was sure to be well taken care of, and it would be a relief to get away from the constant stress of being on the run. He'd be much more comfortable in the castle prison than out here… right up until he was executed. He withheld a sigh; no, of course he couldn't let himself get caught.

"Now then, Flynn Scifo, you are under arrest. On your feet, now, and keep your hands where I can see them."

Flynn gritted his teeth and held his hands out, hyper-aware of the sword Peel was still waving in his face. Oh, yes, Peel was definitely going to be disciplined once Flynn was the commandant again. He carefully rose to his feet, mind racing for possibilities. He didn't see any way out of getting arrested at the moment, so he'd have to figure out a way to escape once they were en route for Zaphias.

"Azure!"

Flynn had never been happier to hear that voice. A burst of blue smashed into Adecor's back, sending him stumbling forward into Peel. Peel shouted in annoyance, and Flynn took his chance to run forward. He snatched up his fallen sword and kept running. Leblanc locked himself in battle with another man Flynn didn't recognize, and then he leapt over Boccos' spear to escape the alley.

Yuri grinned. "Look what happens when I leave you on your own."

There were three men with Yuri, who were engaged in battle with the Schwann Brigade. "Who are your friends?" Flynn asked.

"Fortune's Market. Told you I could arrange something. Hey! Let's move out!" The three men from Fortune's Market held the knights off, giving Flynn and Yuri time to run off. As they ran, Yuri said, "I got transport to Tolbyccia, too."

"Great," Flynn said. "Where are we headed?"

"Ship. Sorry you wasted our money on the inn."

"That's alright." They took a few turns, still running to put as much distance between themselves and the knights as possible. They didn't slow down until they reached the harbour.

"I think we lost them," Yuri said, stopping by the railing overlooking the water.

"Thank goodness," Flynn said, leaning against it and taking a few deep breaths.

"You alright?" Yuri said. "You're bleeding."

Flynn looked down and realized he had a cut on his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed in the thick of the battle, but his shirt was stained and blood trickled down his arm. He had a few other small injuries, but nothing to worry about. "I think Peel was trying to kill me."

Yuri raised his eyebrows. "I thought all the knights kissed your ass?"

Flynn frowned. "Peel's never liked me, but… I don't know. Even if I was guilty, that kind of behaviour is not acceptable. He could have killed a suspect before they had a chance to stand trial. When I return to my post, I shall have to discipline him. I'll probably end up discharging him."

Yuri snorted. "Of course that's what you're most upset about. The guy nearly killed you and you're upset that he didn't follow knight protocol."

Flynn shrugged. "It doesn't bother me to think that someone wants to kill me. I know that lots of people want to kill me, so this isn't anything new." He was more worried about _why_ Peel was so determined to kill him. Surely Peel had never disliked him _that_ much, and Peel had never been the sort of knight to fly off the handle when confronted by a criminal. It was odd, to say the least.

"Anyway, we shouldn't stay out in the open," Yuri said. "There's probably more knights in town."

"Right. How did you find this ship?"

"Luckily for us, Kaufman is in town doing business. I was planning to sneak a few loafs of bread from the stall, but I spotted her and figured I'd ask first. She said she can send the bill for dinner to Dahngrest. Tomorrow morning she's heading back to Dahngrest, and she's going to give us a ride."

"That's very nice of her," Flynn said.

"Yeah, well, when you get back to being the commandant you can expect a bill to show up on your desk."

"Ah. Should have figured."

"Anyway, I was heading back to the inn to pick you up when I saw the Schwann Brigade running around and I figured you'd gotten yourself into some trouble. I recruited the help of some guys from the guild and went to save your ass."

"Thanks," Flynn said. "Now we're even for Ehmead Hill."

"Oh? I thought that payback for when I saved your ass from the Rhinossus the day after Deidon Hold. I think the scale is tipped my way again."

"Whatever you say." He had a feeling they'd be saving each others' asses many more times in the future, so there wasn't much point arguing about this.

"Here it is," Yuri said, walking up a gangplank. "Dinner's waiting on board."

"You know, Yuri, I don't think I give you enough credit," Flynn said as they walked onto the ship.

"What are you talking about? You're always trying to throw credit at me. I told you, I don't care about who the history books say killed the Adephagos."

"That's not what I mean," he said, shaking his head. "Running from the knights is a lot harder than I thought it was. You did this all the time when we were younger to keep us fed. So… thanks."

"Don't get all sappy on me," Yuri said. "Let's just eat." He opened a door and led Flynn into a small room in the hull. Inside was a table with two plates set up. "And," Yuri added, "I promise everything in this meal is perfectly legal."

Flynn smiled. He appreciated all the food Yuri had stolen to make sure they didn't starve to death, but as far as he was concerned, it always tasted better when it was legal.

* * *

Estelle and Ted sat across from each other, pouring over the files on her coffee table. The file she had received from Borden turned out to be more confusing than she had first thought. Borden wrote in sloppy short hand, which took her ages to decipher for even the simplest of statements. He used abbreviations and acronyms whenever possible, and sometimes used symbols instead of words. For another thing, Borden didn't seem to believe in organization. Most of the papers were about some land in Hypionia, but they kept finding other scraps and half-reports on other projects. A few of them mentioned Ragou and Capua Nor, which Estelle carefully put aside. Flynn would be very interested in those when he got back. They'd been sorting through the hundreds of files for over a week now, and they still had only a vague outline of what was going on.

During the past week, she'd poured over the papers whenever she had spare time and she had compiled a few facts. Number one, there was a region around the Shrine of Baction that might belong to one of three families. Borden's notes referred to the three families as X, Y, and 'we'. Number two, there was something about this land that was important. The establishment of the colony of Aurnion had inspired the empire to push its boundaries, and many nobles were lining up to sponsor new colonies across the less-explored continents. Estelle had first thought that Borden just wanted a colony somewhere, but most of the papers appeared to be arguments, forged documents, family trees and timeline to prove he had a legitimate claim to _this_ land. If he just wanted a colony, there would be no reason to stress this specific region. If one of these other families showed up with a stronger claim, he could just go somewhere else.

She only had one clue about what was so special about this land, and she didn't even know what it meant. Every now and then she came across a symbol, a circle with a dot in the middle of it. Whatever this circle represented, it was tied to this region of Hypionia. Estelle thought it might have something to do with the Shrine of Baction. She knew very little about the people who had built it, but she thought perhaps the symbol was tied to some past culture. Why Borden would be interested in an extinct religious group, she didn't know. She'd looked it up in all her anthropological books, but so far she hadn't had any luck. There was also something about having security and support from the knights arranged, but Estelle was sure Flynn would have mentioned it if he was supporting anything to do with Borden.

"I don't get it," Ted said, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "I thought we were trying to catch a murderer, but all we're doing is reading about some plot of land in Hypionia. What does any of this have to do Flynn?"

"I don't know," Estelle said, sighing. "I'm not even sure if it _is_ related. But I think… we assumed we needed to focus on either Flynn's enemies or Borden's, but maybe the culprit wanted to get rid of Flynn, but _also_ wanted to get rid of Borden, and tried to kill two birds with one stone? That narrows down our suspects who want to get rid of both of them. So, maybe if we figure out what Borden was working on, it will tell us who had something to gain from him dying. Such as, a member of family X or Y."

Ted rested his chin in his hands. "I thought being a detective was going to be more exciting than this."

Estelle smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry this isn't very exciting. You can go home if you want."

"No, that's ok, I - I'd rather stay here with you." He blushed a bit.

"Ok," Estelle said. "Rita's going to arrive the day after tomorrow for a visit. Maybe you can meet her! I'm sure you'll like her. She's really smart, so I bet she can help us figure this out." She had wanted to talk about her findings with Rita, but Flynn and Yuri had taken the communicator with them. She wasn't bothered by this, though, because it meant that every night Flynn sent her a message to let her know they were ok. She could rest easier knowing her boys were safe.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her machine started clacking, telling her someone was messaging her. "Oh, that's Flynn or Yuri!" She hopped up and hurried across the room to her desk. Repede looked up expectantly. She always shared Flynn and Yuri's messages with him, because she knew Repede worried about them almost as much as she did.

Waiting for her on the paper was the message, _Good afternoon, Lady Estellise. The ship we're on is docking just down river from Dahngrest._

_Oh, that's great! =D I'm sure you'll catch the assassin soon. Hopefully he can give us some answers, because I'm confused by all of this =\_

_Yes, hopefully. We're going to speak with Harry Whitehorse when we arrive. Perhaps he can help us find the assassin._

_I'm sure he can! =) How was your journey?_

_It was fi_

The typing stopped, and then turned into a smash of letters. Estelle frowned, watching the machine type out, _fly gd ((( sorrhe go Yuri is ddddhjk_. Estelle sighed with an amused smile, clearly able to picture Yuri reaching around Flynn's shoulders and trying to write while Flynn fought him off.

_Hey estelle flynn got really seasickakds jdfahs I'm sorry, Yuri keeps try torrg rh flynn wont let me talk to you. i'm jusehhhrjegu tpo Perhaps we shouglld say goodbye for now._

The typewriter finally fell still, and Estelle was able to write a response. _I think that might be for the best =P. Good luck in Dahngrest, you guys._

_Thank you for your concern, Lady Estellise. We'll speak to you again when we have more information. - Flynn. Yeah bye Estelle - Yuro._

Estelle giggled a bit. _Yuri… did you just spell your name wrong? lD_

_give me a brake the letters are right next to eech other_


	7. The Assassin

"I still can't believe you're such a horrible speller," Flynn said as they walked across the bridge into Dahngrest.

"Oh, give it a rest," Yuri said, waving his hand. "Spelling isn't really important."

"I guess I should have expected as much from you," Flynn said. "You care about as much about the laws of spelling and grammar as you do about laws of behaviour."

Anywhere else, Yuri would have come back with a witty comment. Walking across the Dahngrest bridge, though, brought back way too many memories he didn't like dwelling on, so he eagerly changed the topic. "We should go to Altosk first," he said. "They keep track of all the other guilds, so I'm sure they can send us in the assassin's guild's direction."

"Alright."

Yuri was glad to be back in Dahngrest. Zaphias might be his hometown, but ever since he gave up his citizenship and started Brave Vesperia, he always felt a little on edge inside the empire. Besides, Dahngrest was safely beyond the reach of the Knights. He wouldn't have to worry about Flynn in this town. As they walked through the town, Yuri kept getting nods and waves from residents who knew him. Yuri might have a reputation as a troublemaker in Zaphias, but as far as the people of Dahngrest were concerned, he was the saviour of the world.

"Are we going to spend the night at the Brave Vesperia building?" Flynn asked.

"That was my plan."

"Good. I'd like to see where you work," he said with a smile.

"You could have come to visit." He pretended to be hurt that in the first half a year after the Adephagos when Yuri lived in Dahngrest, Flynn had not once come to see him. Honestly, though, he understood completely that Flynn had been swamped with duties and didn't have time for vacations. Besides, he hardly had a right to judge when Flynn had lived in the castle in the same city for four years and he never bothered to visit.

"You know I didn't have time," Flynn said. He rubbed his chin again and said, "I don't suppose you have a razor I can borrow."

Yuri laughed. "You're really fed up with this facial hair thing, aren't you?"

"I don't like. It's itchy. You're lucky you can't grow a beard." Flynn frowned. "Oh, wait, I suppose you wouldn't own a razor then, and I don't think Karol would need one yet either…"

"Relax, Flynn. You can borrow one from Raven." Raven obviously shaved because Yuri had never seen him with a full beard, and yet Yuri had also never seen him without a layer of stubble. Did he have a special razor that always left a millimetre behind? Yuri had never thought about this before but suddenly the specifics of Raven's shaving habits fascinated him. "Why are you so worried about having a pretty face? Do you want to make sure you're handsome enough for when you see Estelle again?"

Flynn buried his face in his hand. "I knew telling you that was a bad idea."

"Hey, in all seriousness, maybe you should put some effort into finding a girl. It might do wonders for your stress relief."

Flynn laughed a bit. "Knowing me, it would just stress me out more."

"Yeah, that's true." They reached the Altosk building and walked right in. "Hey," Yuri said to a young man in armour standing by the door, "is Harry busy?"

"He's in his office. You can go in and see him if you like, Yuri."

"Great, thanks." Yuri led the way to Harry's office. That was another thing he liked about being in Dahngrest - for once he had more political clout than Flynn. Not that he did much with it, but the powers that ran the city respected him while giving the commandant dirty looks. It was nice sometimes to not be the one tagging along after Flynn.

Yuri knocked on the door to Harry's office, and when he heard a voice say, "Come in," he opened the door.

Harry looked up with a smile, which dropped when he saw who it was. "Oh. Yuri."

"Good to see you, too," Yuri said, pulling a chair back and sitting down.

"Have we come at a bad time?" Flynn asked, politely closing the door and sitting down next to Yuri across from Harry.

Harry put down his pen, rested his forehead in his hand, and sighed. "You shouldn't be here."

"Is something wrong?" Yuri asked.

Harry raised his head. "I told the Knights I'd turn you over if you came to Dahngrest."

Yuri frowned. "Since when does Altosk bend to the will of the Knights?"

"Since we're trying to cooperate peacefully with the empire," Harry said.

"I understand," Flynn said. "The empire and the Union are trying to repair their relationship so they can work peacefully side by side, but harbouring known imperial criminals would drive a wedge between them."

"So, what, you're going to turn us over?" Yuri asked, crossing his arms. He had thought coming to Dahngrest would get them away from the Knights, but now it looked like the empire's reach stretched farther than ever. "I can't see the rest of the guilds being happy with that."

"No, I'm not going to," Harry said. "But you should leave Dahngrest. As far as anyone is concerned, I haven't seen you."

"Yes, of course," Flynn said. "I've worked at getting the Council to recognize the Union as a neighbouring political entity and not a group of secessionist traitors, and I wouldn't want you to destroy that trust on my account."

"Alright, I get it," Yuri said. "We were never here. Are there knights in Dahngrest right now?"

"There's a handful of them stationed outside the city. They assumed you would be coming here, and I granted them permission to enter the city to capture you. I'm sorry, Yuri, but I thought earning favour from the Knights would be harder for me than evading them would be for you."

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it. We've run from the knights since we left Zaphias. I'm sure we can deal with this."

"Good. I'm sorry to cause trouble, but the political situation between the empire and the Union is very delicate. How can I help you?"

"We're looking for information about an assassin," Yuri said. He leaned forward, cresting his arms on the desk. "Where can we find the assassin's guild? I know there is one."

"Ah," Harry said. "Well… chances are, the person you're looking for isn't in the assassin's guild. I had a talk with them a while ago about not accepting contracts on big-shot imperial figures, because I was afraid if a person from a guild murdered an important person in the empire, it could spark an incident. They agreed, but some members disagreed and thought they were bending to the empire's will. These guys split off and mostly work independently now."

"Where might we find them?" Flynn asked. "We heard that the person we're looking for was going to Dahngrest."

"I heard they're in a bar somewhere," Harry said. "But I don't know where. You should ask Raven - I'm sure he has information about this. He's with Karol at your headquarters, Yuri."

"Great," Yuri said. "We were going to head over there next anyway."

"That's all I can tell you," Harry said. "Sorry, I would help you more if I could."

"You've been a great help already," Flynn said, standing up. "Thank you for your time."

"No problem. If you come back again, though, I'll have to turn you over to the knights."

"Yeah, I get it," Yuri said, getting up to follow Flynn. "We won't cause any problems for you. See you around."

They left Altosk, but Yuri felt much less comfortable in the city than he had before entering. Knowing there were knights in the city put a damper on his mood. To cheer himself up, he said, "Hey, we have a lead. All we need now is to find this bar and then we can kick this assassin's ass."

"Yeah," Flynn said. "Hopefully this will all be over soon. I don't mean to complain so much, but… I really want my life back. I don't think I'm cut out to be a fugitive."

"Nah, definitely not," Yuri said. "Besides, running from the knights is no fun if you're not there to yell at me about it."

"Oh, I'm glad you find my scoldings entertaining."

Yuri turned down a side street, passed a few shops and his favourite bar, and finally reached the old familiar Brave Vesperia building. It had been pretty run-down when Karol signed the lease, but they'd put a lot of work into restoring the building. Yuri opened the door and knocked on the door frame. "Hello? Anyone here?"

Footsteps pounded down the stairs, followed by a shout of, "Yuri!" Karol launched himself at him, wrapping around Yuri's waist in a quick hug. "It's really good to see you, Yuri."

"Yeah, you too, boss," Yuri said, carefully prying Karol off him.

Karol smiled, and then punched him in the ribs. "What are you doing getting in trouble with the Knights again!?"

"Oof," Yuri said, although it hadn't hurt that much. "Hold on, let me explain."

"Good," said a new voice, and then Raven walked into the room from Karol's back office. "I'm lookin' forward ta this."

"What's going on, Yuri?" Karol said. "There are rumours all over Dahngrest. People are saying you and Flynn got caught murdering a noble and now you're on the run from the law, and yesterday Harry Whitehorse came by to warn me that he can't protect you guys if you come to Dahngrest. I've been worried sick about you, Yuri!"

"Ah, sorry about that," Yuri said.

"Perhaps we should sit down and explain the whole story," Flynn said.

"That's a good idea," Raven said. He sat down at the table against the wall, shortly joined by the other three. "So," Raven said, leaning back and kicking out his feet, "what exactly's goin' on?"

"The short version is that no, I did not kill anybody," Flynn said. He launched into a description of all that happened, while Yuri sat back and let him explain. Thankfully, he skimmed over the embarrassing events of Ehmead Hill. He wrapped it up by saying, "After meeting with Harry Whitehorse, we came here."

"Whoa," Karol said. "Sounds like you guys have been busy. What I don't understand, though, is why whoever did this is going through so much trouble."

"What do you mean?" Flynn asked.

"Well, it seems to me that if they were going to hire an assassin to get rid of you, why didn't they just… you know, hire the assassin to kill _you_?"

"Are ya kiddin'?" Raven said. "Murdering him would make things even _easier_ for the changes we want ta bring to this country."

"It's because they didn't want to turn Flynn into a martyr," Yuri said.

"Huh?" Karol looked between Raven and Yuri in confusion.

"Look at it this way, kid," Raven said. "If dear Flynn here had been murdered, the whole empire would be in an uproar. 'Oh, what a tragedy!' 'He was so young!' 'Taken before his time!' They'd probably be putting statues up to commemorate the tragically murdered commandant, and the ideals he stood for would be stronger than ever. Turn that story around, though, and have him executed for committing murder. Still gets him out of the picture, but now he's a cautionary tale of what happens when you put a young, untested commoner in the position of commandant and he cracks under the responsibilities. After what happened with Alexei, that would be more than enough 'proof' that the job should only go to a proper noble. This way, they're taking out Flynn while also eliminating the chances of someone like him coming in to take his place."

"Unfortunately, that's probably true," Flynn said. "Although I'm not sure I like your assertion that me being murdered would be a good thing, Captain Schwa… I mean, Raven."

Raven waved his hand. "Hypothetically speakin', of course."

"Anyway," Yuri said, "now we know the assassin is likely in some bar, but we don't know which one."

"Ah-ha," Raven said, stroking his chin. "You're in luck, then, because Ol' Raven happens to know just the place you're looking for."

"Oh, yeah?" Yuri said, sitting up straight. "Spill it, Old Man."

"Whoa, slow down," Raven said. "Let me bask in this moment for a second."

"Yeah, I get it," Yuri said. "Actually being useful is such a rare occurrence for you."

Raven scowled. "Why'd ya have ta go and ruin it? Anyway, the place you're lookin' for is an ol' pub called the Rose and Crown, over on Oswald Avenue. For those in the know, that's where ya go if you want an assassin not tied to a guild."

"Alright," Flynn said, "we'll head over there tonight."

"Hold on," Yuri said. "I think you should stay behind. We don't want this assassin to know we're coming, and the commandant marching into a seedy bar is a bit noticeable."

Flynn frowned. "You're probably right. Just… be careful."

"What are you talking about? I'm always careful."

Both Karol and Flynn gave him looks of disbelief.

Yuri shrugged. "Alright, so maybe not _always_."

"All you need to do," Flynn said, "is go in there and ask to speak to this Garen person. Pretend you're looking to hire him. Once you're meeting with him, find out everything you can about his previous employer. Once you have that information, go on the offensive and attempt to capture him so we can take him back to Zaphias."

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

"I'm sure you'll manage, Yuri," Karol said. "The sooner you can go home and finish your work in the lower quarter, the sooner our guild can get back to work."

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that. Hey, where is Judy, anyway?"

"She's running some errands of her own," Karol said. "She and Ba'ul left the Fiertia behind a couple of weeks ago and took off south. She said she'll come back when you're done in Zaphias."

"Alright, I'll try to wrap things up there as quickly as I can. For now, we're just going to hang out here for the afternoon until I go to the bar tonight."

"That's fine," Karol said.

"Oh, Captain - Mister Raven," Flynn said, "I don't suppose you have a razor I can borrow, do you?"

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Old Man, please. Flynn's been whining about this for a week."

Raven chuckled. "I was gonna ask about the commandant's new look. Yeah, I can help ya. Come with me."

"Thank you so much," Flynn said, getting up to follow Raven away from the table.

They headed off upstairs, and Yuri rested his chin in his hand, staring out the window. After a little while, he noticed Karol was staring at him. "What's up, Captain Karol?"

Karol frowned, and looked down at his hands. "Yuri… are you _sure_ you had nothing to do with Borden's death?"

Yuri paused, and then slowly lowered his hand to the table. "Do you think I did?"

"I don't know," Karol said. "What happened to him sounds a lot like what happened to Ragou and Cumore."

Yuri frowned. He wasn't really hurt that Karol thought he'd murdered Borden, because after the things he'd done, it wasn't that far-fetched. His disappointment was more in himself, because he hated seeing Karol upset and hated to think that he was the cause of it. As firmly as he could, he said, "No, Karol, I did not kill Borden. The first I heard about it was when Estelle told me Flynn had been arrested."

Karol relaxed somewhat. "Good. If you ever did anything like that again… you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah. I promise not to keep this sort of thing from you anymore. We don't keep secrets in Brave Vesperia."

Karol smiled. "Thanks, Yuri."

"Although… I won't say I have any sympathy for Borden. I want to kick this assassin's ass for putting Flynn through all this trouble, but I won't kick it too hard because I think Borden deserved what he got."

Karol's smile faded. "Oh. Are you saying you would have killed him if the assassin hadn't gotten there first?"

Yuri shrugged. "I don't know. I probably wouldn't have, because now that Flynn is commandant, if I ever got enough evidence to justify killing him, Flynn would be able to deal with him his way. If it came down to it, though, and he was hurting people but Flynn couldn't stop him… yeah, I would have. I wouldn't keep it a secret from you guys, though."

"Alright," Karol said. "I suppose that's all I can ask of you. Are you sure you don't need any help tonight?"

"No," Yuri said. "No offense, but taking a kid into a bar would be a bit noticeable. Better I go on my own."

"Ok. Let me know if there's any way I can help."

* * *

A few people looked up as Yuri entered the bar, but for the most part they ignored him. The bar was crowded, with dim light and a haze of cigar smoke hanging above his head. Yuri slid through the crowds, trying to avoid getting beer spilled on him by the clumsily drunk patrons. It wasn't the kind of bar Yuri usually liked attending, because he preferred spending his evening in places where he didn't have to constantly worry about getting his wallet stolen, but he could handle himself. Better than Flynn, he thought with a bit of a smile. Coming without Flynn had definitely been a good idea; that idiot would have broken down and tried to arrest everyone by now.

Yuri sidled up to the bar and leaned forward. The bartender glanced him up and down and then said, "You want something?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone," Yuri said.

"Then go look for 'em," the bartender said. "I'm not a concierge."

"Maybe you can help me with this, though. I'm told he's the one to talk to if there's a person in your life you'd like to get rid of. Answers to the name of Garen, about 5'11", short blond hair…" This was a guess, but he hoped that if he described Flynn it would be close enough.

The bartender's eyes narrowed a bit. "Yeah, I know who you're talkin' about. He might be here tonight. 'Fraid I don't remember."

Yuri pulled out a handful of gald and set it on the counter. He'd promised to pay Karol back, but Karol insisted he could put this down as a guild expense. "How about a little wager? I'll bet you fifty gald he is _not_ here."

The barman eyed the coins, and then looked back up at Yuri. "So sorry. My memory has returned and I'm afraid you've lost your wager." He snatched the money off the counter and said, "Come with me."

Yuri grinned and followed him to the end of the bar. The pushed through the crowd to a hallway at the back, and then the man opened a door to a small room. "Wait here. I'll tell him to meet you."

"Thanks," Yuri said, and then the barman closed the door and walked away. The room was small and lit by a single gas light hanging from the ceiling above a round wooden table. Yuri took a seat facing the door and crossed his arms, waiting patiently.

He only had to wait a couple of minutes. The door opened again and a young man walked in. He strode forward and sat down across from Yuri. "So. I heard you were interested in hiring me."

"I might be," Yuri said, staring at the man's face. He really did look a lot like Flynn. About the same height, with the same shade of blond hair. Same blue eyes and the same round, honest face. If he looked closely he could spot the differences, like how his nose was wider, his cheekbones higher, and his hair styled slightly differently, but all in all, it was eerie.

"What are you staring at my face for?" Garen asked. "This had better not be what you wanted to hire me for. Look, sorry to bust your bubble, but I'm not into dudes."

"What? Sorry," Yuri said, sitting up a bit straighter. "I was just thinking, you remind me of someone."

Garen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get that a lot. That damn commandant in Zaphias, right? Hell, I can't tell you how much trouble that bastard's given me. I'm constantly getting harassed about what I'm doing in Dahngrest."

A bit of a grudge against Flynn, huh? Yuri wasn't sure if that was reason enough to take part in framing him for murder, but it was something. The door opened and a barmaid came in with a tray. She set this down in the middle of the table, and Yuri was a bit surprised - and a bit disappointed - to see two cups of tea and not anything alcoholic. Estelle was always trying to give him tea when he came to visit, but Yuri had never understood the appeal of the drink. Garen gestured at the other cup and said, "Go ahead, it's on me."

"No, thanks," Yuri said. "I'm not a fan of hot leaf juice."

The barmaid left, the door clicking shut behind her. Garen gave Yuri a skeptical look. "You want to hire me for a difficult and dangerous job, but you don't even accept my hospitality?"

Yuri glared back, but he got the feeling that Garen wasn't going to do any business with him if he turned it down. With a sigh he reached out for the cup. "Fine." The drink burned his tongue and left a bitter aftertaste; he just did not see the appeal of tea at all. "What's with the drink, anyway? Not exactly what I'd expect from an assassin."

"What? Just because I make my living killing people for money, I can't enjoy a nice cup of tea?" He shook his head with a frown. "It's harmful stereotypes like these that hold this profession back."

"Uh…"

Garen grinned. "Relax, I'm kidding. I don't drink when discussing a contract. So, what is it you want me to do?"

Yuri leaned forward, resting one arm on the table while taking another sip of his drink with the other. He was trying to get rid of it quickly, because the last thing he wanted was for it to turn into even-less-appealing lukewarm leaf juice. "There's this noble in Zaphias who's been giving me some problems. You can get rid of him, right?"

"Maybe," Garen said.

"Have you ever worked in the capital before?"

Garen nodded. "A few times, both before and after Altosk told us to stay away from the empire."

"Alright… if I'm going to hire you, I need to know you've got what it takes. Tell me about your last job."

Garen closed his eyes for a second, and then set his cup down on the table with a clink. "Are we really going to draw this out, Yuri?"

Yuri's grip on his cup tightened. "What?"

"You're here about Borden."

Yuri lowered his head with a small smile. "Damn. Was I that obvious?"

"Oh, you did very well," Garen said. "You could pass for a seedy bar attendee."

"Uh… thanks?"

"Unfortunately for you, there's not a soul in Dahngrest who doesn't recognize you. Notoriety comes with the territory when you save the world."

"Aw, hell," Yuri said. "I was hoping I was less recognizable than Flynn."

"Sorry. Don't lose hope yet, though. Fortunately for you, I'm interested in helping you."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "You are? Why?"

"We haven't been properly introduced," he stuck out his hand. "I'm Garen Young."

"Yuri Lowell," he said, shaking his hand. There wasn't really a point in introducing himself, since Garen had already proved he knew who he was, but it was habit. "So, why do you want to help?"

"When I accepted the job, I didn't ask any questions," Garen said, taking another sip of his drink. "That's my policy. I don't ask _why_ the client wants someone killed, I just take the money and do it. When I was on my way back, though, I heard about the huge scandal of the beloved commandant committing murder, and I suddenly realized why I'd been hired." He smiled a bit and added, "I'll say I was a bit annoyed to learn I'd been hired because of my pretty face and not my skills. Anyway, I accepted the job in the first place because I have no love of nobles, especially ones that abuse the lower classes. I signed up to kill a piece of trash, not to discredit the best commandant we've had in decades."

"You like Flynn, then?" So much for that theory.

"I'm annoyed with him for looking like me, but that's no reason to dislike the guy. Before I came to Dahngrest, my family got caught up in the construction at Heliord. If there's one thing I hate, it's these damned nobles that think they can get away with treating commoners like trash. I guess you could say I'm pretty mad at myself for helping to ruin the commandant's image and probably make sure the next commandant is some noble bastard."

"That's good to hear," Yuri said. "All you have to do is come back to Zaphias with us and tell everyone what really happened, and then Flynn will be off the hook."

"Oh, no," Garen said. "I said I'm mad at myself, not suicidal. Sorry, I want to help you, but I'm not going to take Flynn's place in prison."

"But it's your place to begin with!" Yuri smashed his fist on the table, making the cups shake. Luckily, Yuri's cup was already over half empty, so even though the liquid shook, it didn't spill.

"This crime will come with the death penalty, no question. Sorry, but I rather enjoy my life. Instead, I can give you some information on the person who hired me, and you can go after them instead."

Yuri glared at him. Garen may look like Flynn's long-lost twin brother, but there was no way he was as strong as him. Yuri was confident he could take him, but he wouldn't try until he got this information about Garen's client, just in case. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long, though. Yuri's frustration with Garen was giving him a headache. "Alright, spill. Who's the guy?"

"Girl, actually," Garen said. "Rather, woman. I didn't get a good look at her face - she kept it concealed under a hood. I could tell from her voice it was a woman, though. She was accompanied by a man, but he didn't speak more than a couple of words and his face was similarly concealed."

"So she met you in person? When was this?" Yuri tipped the cup to his mouth and took the last of the tea in one big gulp, and then slammed the cup down on the table. He made a face as he swallowed; tea was nasty.

"Last month, on the night of the full moon. We met right here in this room and she hired me to kill Count Borden."

"Alright…" That was something. If she met with Garen in person, they could narrow the suspect list down to people who were out of Zaphias during last month's full moon. "Can you tell me anything else?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. She kept her identity hidden and paid in cash, and like I said, I have a policy about not asking questions. I can tell you that she smelled like cinnamon."

"Cinnamon?"

"Yeah. Smelled nice, actually. I figured she was a noble, trying to get rid of a rival. I'm afraid that's all the information I have."

"Thanks. That's pretty helpful." If there was nothing else, he'd overpower Garen now and drag him back to the Brave Vesperia building. He may be trying to help, but that wasn't good enough. When Yuri had killed Ragou and Cumore, he'd known perfectly well that he might have to stand trial for those crimes, and he'd accepted that. This guy thought he could kill someone and then let an innocent man take the blame, and that wasn't acceptable.

Yuri stood up, intending to reach for his sword. As soon as he rose, his head spun and he fell forward, catching himself on the edge of the table. Garen sat across from him, sipping tea with a bored expression. "W-what?" Yuri said. He tried to reach for his sword, but his hand missed and his face felt heavy. He grabbed the tea cup in alarm, and then glared at Garen. "What the hell did you do to me?" His knees felt weak and the room spun.

"Don't worry, it won't kill you," Garen said. "Do you think I'm stupid? Of course you're going to try to take me back to Zaphias. I told you, I have no interest in taking Flynn's place. You're just going to go to sleep for a little while, and then we're never going to see each other again."

"You… bastard," Yuri breathed, dropping to his knees while still clutching the edge of the table. Every slight movement of his head made the world spin, and keeping his eyes open was a struggle.

"Actually, that's another clue for you," Garen said. "This tea was a gift from my employer. She threw it in as a bonus since this was an unusually challenging contract, what with her requesting I let my face be seen. Sorry, I gave you a pretty concentrated dosage, so I imagine your head feels like shit. I really am sorry I had to do this, but I'm afraid I value my life over your friend's."

Garen finished his own, non-drugged cup of tea, while Yuri struggled to hold on to consciousness. _Dammit… dammit…_ His brain throbbed and darkness crept across his vision, and then his fingers slipped from the table. It almost felt like the floor rose to meet him instead of him falling. He was unconscious by the time he hit the ground.


	8. The Oldest Motive in the Book

It was midnight, and Yuri wasn't back yet. Flynn sat at the table, staring out the window.

"Don't you think it's taking too long?" Karol asked, sitting across from him.

"I'm not sure," Flynn said. Yuri had left soon after it got dark, but that was hours ago by now. Flynn drummed his fingers on the table, trying to decide what to do. If they burst in while Yuri was dealing with the assassin, it could blow his cover and ruin everything. If Yuri was in trouble, every minute they waited here was another minute Yuri was in danger.

"Well, Commandant?" Raven said. "Your call."

Of course it was his call. Everything was always his call. "We should go to the bar and check it out in case Yuri is in trouble, but keep a low profile."

Karol hopped up from the table. "Yeah, let's go. I'm worried about Yuri."

Flynn stood up, glad to be doing something. Sitting around and doing nothing made him feel useless. However, he'd finally shaved his face, so at least he didn't feel uncivilized. "Are you both coming with me?"

"Yeah!" Karol said.

"Might as well," Raven said. "You kids might get inta trouble without ol' Raven hangin' around."

Karol smirked. "Admit it, Raven you're worried about Yuri, too."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, kid."

Flynn led the way out onto the street, but then faltered. "Uh… which way is Oswald Avenue?"

Karol laughed. "Let me lead the way."

Flynn let Karol walk ahead of him. It was nice letting someone else lead the way on a mission, if unfamiliar. With Karol focused on finding the bar and rescuing Yuri, he ignored Flynn and Raven behind him.

Raven fell into step beside Flynn and with a casual smile asked, "So… I haven't been ta Zaphias in a while. How's the new job treatin' ya?"

"Very well, thank you," Flynn said.

"Oh yeah? You're not dyin' of work overload or anythin'?"

Flynn frowned, and walked a few steps before replying. "Did Yuri talk to you?"

"Nah, I just know the look. Let me guess, the Council's giving you a hard time because of you background, right?"

"Naturally."

"Hey, I've been there. When I first became Captain Schwann, I felt like I was in way over my head. But, you'll figure it out."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"If it helps, I'm pretty sure most of the empire has confidence in ya." Raven stretched his arms and then rested them behind his head. "You just need ta get out of the capital now and then. Those Council members are really draggin' ya down. Most of the empire thinks you're the bee's knees. You're not the empire's sparkly golden knight for nothin', ya know."

"Hm…" It didn't actually make him feel better, but he appreciated the effort.

"It's right around here!" Karol stopped to look back at them. "Hurry up, guys! Yuri might be in trouble."

"Right." Flynn hurried ahead and rounded the corner. The street was dark, with only a lantern hanging outside the bar to light it up. Dahngrest was cloudy and overcast as always, blocking out light from the moon. Flynn marched down the street and stood under the wooden sign, eyeing the door. He couldn't just burst in, but what if Yuri was right beyond the door, getting hurt? He had no choice. He'd have to take the risk and go inside.

He started to reach for the handle, when Raven grabbed his shoulder. "Hey. You see that in the alley?"

"Pardon?" Flynn looked to the narrow gap between the bar and the neighbouring building, and his chest clenched. A familiar boot stuck onto the street.

"Yuri!" Karol yelled, running forward, with Flynn right behind him.

Flynn overtook Karol and reached the alley first. He dropped to his knees and immediately reached for Yuri's neck to check for a pulse. His heart pounded so hard took him a few frantic seconds to register Yuri's calmer heart beat. He let out a tense breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and announced, "He's alive."

"What happened to him?" Karol asked, standing at Yuri's feet with wide, frightened eyes.

"I'm not sure," Flynn said. "I don't see any sign of injury…" Karol moved a bit, letting light from the street hit more of Yuri's body. A piece of paper tucked into Yuri's shirt caught his eye, and he carefully reached out and took it. Written across the front in flowing script was the word "Commandant."

"Looks like it's for you," Raven said, leaning against the alley wall.

With a frown, Flynn unfolded the paper and read the message on the back.

_Commandant Flynn -_

_Don't worry about your friend. He's just sleeping, and he'll wake up in a couple of hours. Chances are he won't remember much of our conversation, though, so I've included a list of everything I know about my client:_

_1\. You're looking for a woman, who was accompanied by a man_

_2\. She met with me in person on the night of the last full moon_

_3\. She smelled like cinnamon_

_4\. She gave me a supply of narcotic tea_

_5\. I'm pretty sure she was a noble_

_Hope that helps. Sorry I ruined your life. Don't try to find me._

_-G_

Flynn lowered the letter and looked back to Yuri's sleeping face. "Well, I suppose that answers what happened to Yuri."

"What?" Karol said.

Flynn handed him the letter, and then carefully pulled Yuri onto his shoulders again. "This is the second time I've had to carry him like this on this trip," he said.

"When was the first?" Karol asked, handing the letter to Raven.

"On Ehmead Hill," Flynn said. "He got hit with that pollen."

"Looks like he got hit by some sorta plant-based drug again," Raven said, folding the letter up and slipping it in his pocket. "Well, let's get him home. If this guy's tellin' the truth, we don't need ta worry about him."

"True," Flynn said, shifting Yuri's weight to be a bit more comfortable and then setting off down the street. "Although, I am hesitant to take the word of a known assassin."

* * *

Yuri woke up in a warm, familiar bed. He yawned and stretched, taking in a deep breath. It was nice to wake up in his own bed after over a week on the road. Wait a minute… when did he get to his bed?

His eyes flashed open. He was in his room in Dahngrest alright. He sat up quickly, and then put his palm to his head. "What the hell…?" The last thing he remembered was going to meet that assassin in the bar. He was pretty sure he recalled meeting the guy, but all he knew was that the man had indeed looked like Flynn. Other than that, his memory was a blur. He glanced out the window and saw daylight, so apparently he'd slept through the night. He also spotted Flynn, sleeping on the ground with a spare pillow and blanket.

"Hey, Flynn," Yuri said. When Flynn didn't immediately pop up, Yuri grabbed his pillow and threw it at Flynn's head. "Flynn!"

The pillow smacked him in the face and Flynn bolted upright, one hand reaching for his sword. It took him three seconds to realize where he was. "Yuri! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Yuri said. His head throbbed with a mild headache, and he wondered if he'd ended up drinking a lot at the bar last night. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd woken up after going to a bar with a headache and no memory of the night before, but the headache was too mild and not accompanied by enough vomiting and misery to be the result of getting drunk. "What the hell happened last night?"

"You went to the bar on your own as planned," Flynn said, setting the pillow aside and standing up. Before doing anything else, he picked up his blanket and carefully folded it while saying, "you didn't come back after several hours, so we went to look for you." He set the blanket on a chair in the corner and grabbed a folded piece of paper off the desk. "We found you passed out in an alley with this." He handed the paper to Yuri.

Yuri read the letter quickly, his frown deepening the entire time. When he finished, he tossed it aside. "So that bastard drugged me."

"So it would seem." Flynn sat down next to Yuri. "Yuri, this is important. Do you have a bit of a headache right now?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. But it's not-"

"And you don't remember _anything_ from last night?"

"Nothing after meeting that assassin. Damn, I knew that tea was bad news. It tasted like crap, but I thought that was just because tea in general tastes like crap." He glanced over at Flynn, who stared at the ground with an intent expression. "What's up with you?"

"I was just thinking… I think I was drugged, too."

"What, last night?"

"No." Flynn shook his head. "The night of Borden's murder. I had a cup of tea that night. I didn't think anything of it, because I always have a cup of tea, but if the person responsible has access to some kind of tea that knocks you out, it would explain my memory loss from that night."

"Are you sure?" Yuri said. "Because based on your boots you went wandering somewhere, and all I did was pass out in a scummy alley."

"I think you got a more concentrated dose than I did," Flynn said. "You said yours tasted bad, right? I didn't notice a difference in taste from my usual tea. If you got a bigger dose, it probably hit you harder and more immediately. I think… I probably wandered out of the castle in a half-awake drugged state. Then I went and did… something. Maybe I just went for a walk."

"Hey, that's good news," Yuri said. "It means you aren't losing your memory. You were just drugged."

Flynn frowned. "Yes. I was 'just' drugged. Someone in the castle who had access to my room is plotting to ruin my life. That's… comforting."

"Ah. Yeah. Well, now that we have these clues, any chance we can narrow down our search?"

"Hm…" Flynn grabbed his bag from the floor and pulled out the list of names he'd written the first night. "I sent a message to Lady Estellise last night asking her to look into which nobles were out of town last month. Perhaps with a fourth qualifier, we can narrow it down."

Yuri snatched the paper and looked over it. "We can narrow it down to the women at least. And - hey. What about this guy?"

"Who?"

"I can't believe I didn't see it before. He's got to be involved?"

"What? Did you find something?"

"Look," Yuri held the paper up and pointed at the name. "Councilman Killar."

"What about him is suspicious?" Flynn asked, creasing his brow.

"Just look at his name!" Yuri said. "His name is Killer!"

Flynn sighed. "Seriously, Yuri? You're basing it on that?"

"I'm not the one who named him Killer."

"It's not 'Killer', it's 'Killar'. He's a well-respected member of the Council. You can't condemn him just because of his name."

"Oh, come on! What's his first name, Suspect?"

Flynn pulled the paper out of Yuri's hand. "If you're not going to take this seriously, don't bother helping. Speaking of suspects, I've been thinking…" Flynn trailed off, not sure if he wanted to continue.

"You have someone in mind?" Yuri asked.

"Sort of. We've been focusing our efforts on the Council, and I would hate to think that one of my own knights could do such a think but… Peel."

Yuri nodded. "Oh, yeah, that asshole. I'd buy it."

"He seemed quite keen on me being guilty, and he clearly doesn't like me. There's also this whole thing with his knife being found at Borden's house. He must not be working alone, though. The assassin said the main culprit is a woman, but he might have been the man accompanying her."

"So… how are we going to prove this? What's the next step?"

"We can't do anything until we hear back from Lady Estellise." Flynn stood up and put the paper down on the desk. "We can wait here for a couple of days, but we'll have to lay low to avoid notice."

Yuri got up and followed Flynn to the desk. The communicator sat by the window, Flynn's messages to Estelle still sitting there. Yuri leaned over to read the last line from Estelle.

_Ok! \o/ I'll ask around the Council. Let me know if you can think of anything about that symbol._

"What's this supposed to be?" Yuri asked, pointing to the characters after 'ok.'"

Flynn smiled a bit. "Oh, I think that's supposed to be a little person sticking their arms up."

"Sometimes I think text-based communication was a horrible idea for Estelle."

"She seems to enjoy it, though," Flynn said.

"Yeah. What's she talking about when she says 'that symbol'?"

"It's something like this." Flynn grabbed a pen and drew a circle on the bottom of the suspect list, and then added a dot in the middle. "Borden's been using this symbol to represent something that's in Hypionia. Estelle thinks it has to do with a religious sect that operated around the Shrine of Baction."

"Underhanded land deals and secret cults, huh?" Yuri shook his head. "This was a lot easier when we were just chasing down an assassin. I'd still like to find him again, though. I owe him a fist to the face."

"We can worry about that when this is over," Flynn said. "I don't think we're going to get any more information out of him, so we can hunt him down and arrest him when we're not on a time limit."

"Yeah, sure," Yuri said, willing to go along with the implication that they needed to catch him because he was an assassin and needed to be arrested for his crimes, and not because Yuri had a personal grudge to sort.

* * *

"And you say Lady Joplin was definitely not in town last month, then?" Estelle asked.

The secretary nodded. "That's right, Your Highness. Um, why exactly is this important?"

Estelle smiled innocent. "Oh, I'm writing a book about the Council. I want it to be as accurate as possible!"

"Ah, of course," the secretary said. "Is that all you need?"

"Yes, thank you very much. Come along, Ted, we're done here."

"Right!" Estelle led the way out of Joplin's manor, Ted rushing after her with his notebook.

Once they were out of earshot, Estelle said, "Did you get all that down?"

"Yeah," Ted said. "I put her down in the available list. I also wrote down that she's been going out at night in the past few weeks but the secretary doesn't know what for, and that on the day of Flynn's arrest she was meeting with a mage from Halure about something."

"Excellent work, Ted." Estelle liked having Ted tag along. He kept notes throughout her interviews and gave her someone to bounce ideas off of. In her books, all the great detectives had sidekicks and Ted was fulfilling his role perfectly. "Ok, who's next on the list?"

"Uh…" Ted flipped through some pages. "Zadel. But, Princess Estellise, it's almost four and you said you needed to be back at the castle by then."

"Oh, right!" Estelle said. Rita was submitting a report of her experiments with alternate energy sources in a few days, but she'd decided to come early to visit Estelle. Her carriage should arrive at the castle in about ten minutes. "That's ok, Zadel has an office in the castle so we can meet him there."

They left Joplin's mansion and hurried back to the castle. Estelle walked a little quicker than usual, eager to meet Rita. It would be nice to sit down and take a rest, too. She and Ted had walked around the royal quarter all day today and all day yesterday, interviewing every single noble on Flynn's list about where they were last month. She now had a short list of nobles who were out of town during the time when the assassin was hired, which would do wonders to narrow down their suspect list. They were focusing on the women, but questioning the men, too, to account for the male who had accompanied the assassin's female client.

As they turned the corner, Estelle saw a carriage by the front gates of the castle. It pulled away, revealing Rita walking to the gates. "Rita!" Estelle shouted, picking up her pace. Rita turned, and smiled when she saw her. Estelle broke into a run, and smashed into Rita, crushing her in a hug. "Rita! It's so good to see you!"

"Oof! E-Estelle, get off…" Rita stammered.

Estelle pulled back and held onto Rita's shoulders. She giggled and said, "Sorry. It feels like I haven't seen you in ages."

"It hasn't been that long," Rita grumbled. She looked down at Ted and asked, "Who's the kid?"

"Oh, this is Ted." Estelle reached over and wrapped her arm around Ted's shoulders to pull him closer. "He's a friend of Yuri and Flynn's, and he's been helping me with the case. I think I mentioned him."

"Yeah, you did," Rita said.

"Come on, let's go to my room and you can put your stuff down."

Estelle practically skipped through the castle. As much as she liked being able to keep in touch with Flynn and Yuri while they were in danger, she hadn't realized how accustomed she'd gotten to talking to Rita every night. As they walked, Estelle filled Rita in on everything they had learned about the case since Yuri and Flynn left. She had just finished off with what they'd learned from the assassin in Dahngrest when they reached Estelle's rooms.

"So that's why I've interviewed all the nobles," Estelle said, opening the door and letting Rita in.

"Sounds like you've been busy," Rita said. She set her bag down on the ground by the couch and then pulled out a small rectangular wrapped in brown paper. "Um, here, I just… I got you a thing."

Estelle gasped, and took the small parcel with wide eyes. "O-oh! But, Rita, I didn't get you anything…"

"Don't worry about it!" Rita said, waving her hand. "You weren't expected to."

Estelle carefully unwrapped the string around the parcel and pulled away the paper to find a leather-bound novel. "Oh, it's a book!"

"I saw it in the shop the other day," Rita said. "It says it's about some knights and stuff and I thought of you so… I don't care if you don't like it, I just grabbed in case you hadn't read this one."

Before Rita could babble any more, Estelle pulled her into a tight hug. "It's wonderful, Rita. Thank you so much. Now I feel bad that I didn't get anything for you."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to make you feel bad!" Rita sputtered once Estelle released her.

"It's ok. Here, let me take your things to the spare room. Ted, would you show Rita all the case files we've gone over?"

Ted bobbed his head. "Right away, Princess Estellise!"

Estelle smiled at him and grabbed Rita's bags. She'd told Ted many times to just call her Estelle, but he never did. She left him with Rita and carried Rita's things to the spare room. She might was well call it Rita's room, because she was the only one who ever used it. It had just been a study when Estelle lived here before their journey, but she'd decided she much preferred her desk to be by the great big window in the main room, and asked for a bed to be brought in here in case any of her friends came to visit. So far, Rita was the only one who ever used it. Yuri was the only other one who was ever in Zaphias longer than a quick visit at lunch, and he always went back to his room in the lower quarter to sleep. Estelle always told him to just spend the night in the castle and save himself the walk, but Yuri claimed to be allergic to the castle. She was pretty sure he was lying.

When she returned to the main room, she found Rita sitting on the couch, looking over all the papers on the coffee table. She was hoping Rita could help, because Rita was the smartest person she had ever met. Of course, Rita's genius tended to fall in the math and science fields so she wasn't sure how helpful she'd be in this case.

"We just got back from speaking with Joplin," Estelle said. "She wasn't in town last month, so she could possibly have been the one who hired the assassin."

"Joplin?" Rita asked, looking up.

"Yes," Estelle said. "Do you know her?"

Rita shrugged and looked back at the papers. "Sort of. She was a researcher in Aspio because her father died and she inherited his place on the Council. I'm told she's brilliant, but she specialized in biology which I always considered beneath my time so I don't know how valid that label is."

Estelle smiled with a bit of amusement. She'd call Rita out for being arrogant if she couldn't completely back herself up.

"Anyone especially suspicious so far?" Rita asked.

"Not particularly," Estelle said. "We didn't get to talk to a lot of the nobles in person, though, because they were busy."

"That's probably fine," Rita said. "All you need to do is check their calendars. You only need to question them in-depth if they were out of Zaphias during our window of opportunity."

"That's what we figured!" Ted piped in, looking eager to contribute.

Estelle nodded. "They only other one who was out of town that we didn't get a chance to talk to was Lady Emmery. Her secretary said she was out of town with a family thing, but didn't know exactly where she'd gone. But, Emmery was in a meeting when we stopped to visit so we're going back tomorrow. Her secretary said he'd book an appointment for us tomorrow evening so she should be available."

"Yeah, look," Ted said, holding up a paper he'd tucked into his notepad. It was on thick, expensive paper with a formal letterhead embossed with Emmery's family crest. "He gave us this memo and it's all official and everything."

"Yeah, cool," Rita said, not even looking over.

"It looks like you've done a great job so far," Rita said, picking up a stack of papers from the coffee table and flipping through them. "I'm impressed. If being a writer doesn't work out for you, you should become a detective."

"Oh, you really think so?" Estelle said, grinning with pride. "I don't know. It's interesting, but I think this sort of thing would be too stressful to do full-time."

"What's this here for?" Rita asked, stopping at one of the pages about Hypionia and pointing at the circular symbol.

"Oh! That's the weird symbol I mentioned." Estelle scooted closer to Rita and leaned over the page. "I've looked through all my books, but I just can't figure out what it might refer to! It's the most mysterious part of this case so far." As frustrating as it was to not know what the symbol meant, Estelle had to admit it was rather exciting. It really was like something out of one of her books. "I think it has to do with the Shrine of Baction somehow."

"What are you talking about? This isn't a religious symbol."

"It's… not?" Estelle asked. "Wait - Rita, do you know what it means?"

"Sure," Rita said, lowering the paper. "That's an old alchemical symbol."

"Alchemy?" Ted said. "Oh, I've heard of that! Isn't that, like, trying to make the Philosophy Stone?"

"Philosopher's," Rita corrected without even looking at him. "It's all a load of hogwash from before researchers figured out blastia. Anyway, they thought their work was actually magic or could actually grant you eternal life, so they encrypted all their notes with different symbols. Each element had a symbol to represent it. After we lost the blastia I redirected my research into chemistry, so I've looked over some old alchemy books to see if they were on to anything, since alchemy is a bit like a precursor to modern chemistry."

"I see!" Estelle said. "So, what's this one?"

"The circle is supposed to represent the sun," Rita said, pointing. "That's why I hate alchemy - all their diagrams and symbols were all caught up in hidden symbolism and secrete meanings." Rita rolled her eyes in disdain. "Science is supposed to be about cold, hard facts and raw data - I don't have time for this wishy-washy mysticism mixed in with my science."

"Yes, Rita, I understand, but what does this one mean?"

"Oh, it's gold."

Ted's eyes lit up. "Gold?"

"Yep," Rita said, putting the papers back down. "If I had to guess, it looks to me like Borden's interested in some gold down in Hypionia, but copied the alchemists and hid the word in a symbol in case anyone else found his work."

Estelle nodded quickly. "Yes, that makes sense. If he wants to get that land cheap and without any complaint from the rest of the Council, he couldn't let anyone else know there was something valuable there."

Ted frowned. "You know… this is kind of disappointing. I was all excited about some secrete conspiracy, but it turns out it's just about money."

Estelle's initial excitement died down and she deflated a bit. "Yes… this is a bit less exciting than I'd hoped."

"You guys are dumb," Rita said. "Of course it's about money. It's _always_ about money. The Borden guy was just trying to get rich by claiming ownership of land he only has a tentative claim to, and then mining all the gold that he 'happens' to find there and making millions."

"Yeah, but now he's dead," Ted said. "So… who will get the land now?"

The three of them sat in silence. The gears in Estelle's mind turned quickly. "With Borden dead, one of the two other families has a better shot at winning the right to this land. One of them must also know that there's gold there, and killed Borden so they could get it themselves."

Rita nodded. "Right, and then they framed Flynn because if you're going to frame someone for murder, you might as well do it to someone you want to get rid of anyway."

"Poor Flynn," Estelle said, frowning. "It's not fair that he had to get caught up in all this."

"How are we going to figure out who the other families are?" Ted asked.

"Hm…" Estelle said. "I'm not sure. I think we should approach this the same way we have been and find the person who was in Dahngrest last month. That seems easier than trying to figure out who the families are when all we know of them is X and Y." She stood up, straightened her skirt, and said, "Speaking of that, I'm going to go talk to Zadel."

"I'll come with you!" Ted said eagerly.

"No, that's ok, Ted. He's probably working right now, so I don't want all three of us to barge in. I'm just going to ask him a couple quick questions." She was talking to Zadel because she wanted to be thorough, but he wasn't high on their suspect list. He'd always been supportive of Flynn, and she recalled that he'd invited Flynn out for a drink the night of Borden's murder. If he had anything to do with this, he would hardly have offered him an alibi. "I'll be back in a bit, ok, Rita?"

"Yeah, I'll be here," Rita said. She had already pulled out a book and buried her nose in it.

Estelle left the room and made the short walk to Zadel's office. He had always worked from the castle and not from home since he lived with his elderly mother and didn't want to disturb her, which was quite convenient for Estelle at the moment. She knocked lightly on the door, and poked her head. "Um, hello, are you busy right now?"

Zadel looked up from his desk. "Ah, Lady Estellise, what a surprise. No, I'm not terribly busy. Please, come in."

Estelle slipped inside and closed the door. "Good afternoon," she said as she walked to the desk. "I was just wondering if I could ask you some questions?"

"What kind of questions?" He set his pen down next to a vase of flowers on his desk.

"I'm writing a book, you see," she said, sitting down in front of him and folding her hands on her lap. "It's all about the Council. I think most common people have no idea how the government really works, so I want to write about what Council members actually do."

"That's an interesting idea," Zadel said. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Well, I already know what the Council does while in the capital. I grew up surrounded by politicians, so I have that down. But, what sort of things do Council members do when they leave Zaphias?"

"They could be doing lots of things. Everything from meeting with business partners in other regions to taking a personal vacation."

"Oh, I see," Estelle said, nodding and pretending she was learning. "Have you gone on any trips recently, for example?"

"Hm… well I left the city last month."

"You did?" Her attention was piqued.

"I was escorting my mother to Yumanju. It's too long a trip for her to go by herself, but the hot spring does wonders for her arthritis."

"When exactly was that?"

"Oh, around the first of the month. I was only gone for about four days. Luckily my butler made the trip out to bring her home about a week later, because I've been too wrapped up with work to leave the castle, much less the city."

"I see," Estelle said, her interest gone again. "That's very informative. Thank you very much."

"It was no trouble."

Estelle leaned over the desk a bit and asked, "What are you working on now?"

"Lord Shappey has submitted a request to start a colony in Hypionia. I'm going over his proposal and trying to find a single shred of evidence that he knows what he's doing."

"Hypionia?" Estelle asked, her interest piqued again. "Where, exactly?"

"Right next to Aurnion. Not a very creative fellow. He seems to have seen the success Aurnion is enjoying and said 'I want that', without any idea how to actually run a colony. I'd say I'm dreading having to break his heart when I advise the committee to reject his request, but between you and me, I'm going to enjoy it."

Estelle smiled a bit, and then tried asking, "Um… there wouldn't happen to be any talk about land around the Shrine of Baction, is there?"

"Hm… no, I don't think," Zadel said. "Why?"

"No reason." Darn, she'd been hoping either family X or Y might have started toeing the water about the land now that Borden was out of the way.

"No real point," Zadel said. "The soil's no good for planting, it has minimal trees for lumber, and if you tried tearing down the shrine to make room for development, you'd have that guild Ruin's Gate declaring war on you."

"So, you haven't heard of anything of value in that land at all?"

Zadel shook his head. "Not as far as I am aware. You seem oddly interested in this area."

"Well… I've been to the Shrine of Baction and I'm interested in Astal and the history of the area, that's all."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, then."

"You've been plenty helpful! I'll let you get back to your work now." She stood up with a big smile, thanked him again, and left the office. Once she was alone in the hall, she leaned against the wall with a sigh. No one seemed to know anything. This was so frustrating - how was she supposed to put her detective skills to the test if she barely had any clues?

She returned to her apartment, and plopped down on the couch next to Rita.

"How'd it go? Learn anything useful?" Rita asked, actually looking up from her book. Ted, meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the couch across from them, examining the fancy letterhead of the stationary from Emmery's house.

Estelle sighed heavily. "No."

"Hey, don't worry," Rita said. "You'll find something soon."

"I hope so." Estelle leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands. "I promised Flynn I would solve this case, but so far I'm letting him down. What if he gets found guilty because I wasn't a good enough detective?"

Rita stared at her for a second, and then slowly put her book down. She reached out and awkward patted Estelle on the shoulder. "Hey, uh… it'll be fine. You're doing great."

She smiled a bit. Rita wasn't the best at comforting people, but Estelle appreciated the effort. She leaned over and rested her head on Rita's shoulder, which wasn't very comfortable since Rita was significantly shorter than her. "Thanks, Rita."

"Hey, Princess Estellise," Ted said, not looking up, "what does this shield thing mean? Is Emmery a knight?"

Estelle raised her head. "Hm? Oh, that's just her family coat of arms. All noble families have them, but they go back centuries so they don't really mean anything anymore."

"Oh, ok. Do you have one too, Princess? I bet yours is amazing!"

Estelle smiled. "No, I don't have a personal one. The royal family just uses the imperial crest."

"Oh, yeah, I've seen that," Ted said. "That's cool too, I guess, but Emmery's has a dragon."

"Let me see that," Rita said leaning over and grabbing it out of Ted's hands. "That's a lame dragon. You really think this is better than the royal crest?"

Ted crossed his arms. "Dragons are cool!"

"It's ok, Rita," Estelle said, taking the paper from Rita. "I don't really care about crests. Emmery's is very nice." She looked down at it, noticing the long dragon snaking around the base. She'd never paid much attention to family crests before. They were just part of the scenery surrounding a noble, like the formal outfits and imposing mansions. Now that she looked closely, Emmery's crest really was quite pretty. She could see how Ted thought the dragon was pretty cool. She was about to put the paper down again, when a thought struck her. "Hey… wait a minute." She pulled the paper close to her nose and examined the dragon in detail. "Does that look like Astal to you?"

"What? Let me see," Rita said, leaning over.

Estelle handed the paper over. She wasn't confident, because her memories of Astal were fuzzy. She'd only seen him while imprisoned by Alexei, so it had been hard to make out details through the haze of aer and pain.

"You're right," Rita said. "That does look like Astal."

"Who's Astal?" Ted asked, looking between Rita and Estelle.

Estelle was the one to answer. "He was an Entelexeia who lived in Hypionia, but Alexei killed him last year."

"Why would Emmery have that on her crest?" Ted asked.

"That's what we're wondering," Estelle said. She bit her lip, deep in thought. Crests were designed to represent a family's life and accomplishments. Those who won honour in battle had swords and helmets, those that made a name for themselves around Halure had trees… "Astal must feature in their family history somewhere."

"Which means," Rita said, "that her family must originally be from Hypionia, probably from around the area that Astal lives."

Estelle turned to Rita and grabbed her shoulders. "Rita, this is it! Do you see? One of the two other families - it has to be Emmery!" She threw herself forward and wrapped Rita in a tight embrace. "We found it, Rita!"

Ted crossed his arms and pouted a bit. "H-hey, I'm the one who pointed it out…"

Estelle looked over at him with a big grin, "Yes, Ted, we couldn't have done it without you! When we talk to Emmery tomorrow, I'll ask her about the land in Hypionia and see how she reacts." She could barely contain her enthusiasm. At last, they were getting somewhere!

* * *

The next day, Estelle made dinner. It had been just her and Rita today, because Ted was busy helping his mom with something. They couldn't move forward with the case until meeting with Emmery, and they couldn't do that until their appointment at eight, so they'd spent the day just hanging out and catching up. They were having a late dinner and would head over to Emmery's mansion when they finished. "Here you go!" she said happily, setting down a plate in front of Rita. All she'd made were chicken sandwiches, but she always felt so satisfied making her own meals.

"Thanks," Rita said. "So are you going to go talk to that Emmery woman after dinner?"

"Yes," Estelle said, sitting across from her. "You can come too, if you like."

"Sure." Rita took a bite of her sandwich, and then looked up at Estelle's throat. "That's a new necklace."

Estelle laughed and fingered the string around her neck. "Yes, Ted gave it to me yesterday. Isn't he sweet? He said he thought he should get me something too, because you did." Estelle frowned a bit and added, "Although, now both of you have gotten me something and I don't have anything for either of you."

Rita stared at her for a few seconds, and then said, "Estelle… you know what's going on here, don't you?"

Estelle tilted her head to the side. "Going on?"

"Ted has a crush on you."

Estelle swallowed and then laughed. "Don't be silly, Rita. Ted's just a little kid."

"Yeah, and he's infatuated with you," Rita said. "You've got to stop leading him on."

"I am not leading anyone on! Ted's a very nice boy, and he's been very helpful to me."

"Yeah," Rita said. "He's helpful because he has a crush on you."

"But… but I'm at least seven years older than him! Besides, why would he have a crush on me of all people?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Rita said. "You're smart, pretty, kind…" She blushed and hurriedly added, "I mean, that's what Ted thinks."

"Oh… um, I think you're all of those things too, Rita," Estelle said. She reached up and fingered the crude wooden pendant around her neck. "Do you really think Ted has a crush on me?"

"I think it's fairly obvious," Rita said, looking grateful to have moved the subject along. "Obviously it won't go anywhere, but _he_ doesn't know that. He's just a stupid kid."

"He's only a bit younger than Karol," Estelle pointed out.

Rita shrugged and took a big bite of sandwich. "I resht my case."

Estelle frowned. "Rita, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full."

Rita swallowed and wiped her mouth. "Sorry. Anyway, you should probably talk to him before this gets out of hand."

"Oh…" That didn't sound like a very fun conversation. She hated to think that she needed to break someone's heart, especially when he was just a kid. But Rita was right, it would be even worse if she let this drag out and Ted started thinking he actually had a chance. What a mess! She didn't want to think about this right now. "I guess I'll talk to him tomorrow. For now, if you're done eating, let's go pay a visit to Lady Emmery."

"You're not just pushing this issue aside because don't want to deal with it, are you?"

"No!" Estelle protested.

"Sure," Rita said, clearly not believing her. "Whatever, Ted's not even here now." She got up and carried her plate to the sink. "Let's go grill this Emmery woman."

"Right!" Anything to get away from talking about Ted. It had been bad enough when she had to let Flynn down last year, but at least then she'd been confident that his was a mature, emotionally stable adult who wouldn't be devastated by the news. The idea of making a little boy cry made her chest feel heavy. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and accompanied Rita out of the castle. It was such a lovely evening, and Rita was here to visit; she didn't want to dwell on Ted right now.

"You seem awfully perky today," Rita said while Estelle practically skipped down the street.

She looked back at Rita with a smile. "I'm just happy you're here visiting. You should come more often!"

"It's not like I have a lot of free time," Rita said, scowling. "You're the one who said you wanted to move to Halure."

Estelle's smiled dropped a bit. "You're right, I'm sorry. I do want to move to Halure, but there's so much to do here. I would feel terrible leaving Ioder alone right now. Maybe in a few years, once he's established himself as emperor more. Flynn, too - once Yuri goes back to Dahngrest he won't have many friends in the capital."

"Assuming we solve this case and he's able to work in the capital again."

Estelle gasped. "Rita! Why would you say that? Of course Flynn will get his job back."

"Yeah, of course we're going to try, but let's not get over-confident."

Estelle pouted. "Well, I… I guess so. I just want to keep my hopes up, because I'm really worried about Flynn… I couldn't stand it if they find him guilty."

"Ah, uh… I'm sorry," Rita muttered. "I didn't mean to drag your spirits down I just… oh, never mind."

"Look, we're here," Estelle said. She led Rita through the gates of Emmery's mansion and up to the front door.

After knocking, Rita crossed her arms and said, "I don't see the point in living in a house this big. What do you even do with all this space?"

"Avoid people you don't like," Estelle said with a bit of a smile.

"Really? Hm, they might be on to something with this massive house idea…"

Estelle giggled, and then the door opened. "Oh, hello," she said to the butler. "I believe Lady Emmery is expecting us?"

"Ah, yes," the butler said. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid your meeting will have to be postponed. Lady Emmery has left town."

"Left?" Estelle said. "To where?"

"I am afraid I am not at liberty to say," the butler said.

"Hold on," Rita said, "the secretary yesterday said she'd be free to meet with us today!"

The butler bowed slightly, and even though Rita had spoken, he directed his words at Estelle. "Please excuse the inconvenience, Your Highness. Lady Emmery planned her departure only last night at the last minute, and she requested that no one be told of her destination."

"She's just… gone?" Estelle said. Warning bells went off in her mind. Emmery suddenly deciding she needed to skip town right after Estelle had come around asking questions was way too suspicious. She must have known they were closing in on her and run away before she could be caught.

"We need to know where she's gone," Rita said.

The butler frowned. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I am not at liberty to say."

Estelle clasped her hands over her chest and turned her eyes as wide and sad as she possibly could. "Please, sir? You see, I'm trying to write this book and it just won't be complete if I don't speak with her."

The butler wavered, but held his ground. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. She specifically told me I was not inform anyone of her whereabouts."

Estelle quivered her lower lip. "I won't tell anyone else, I promise. I'll just pop over and ask her a few questions and I swear I won't tell her you're the one who told me!"

The butler shook his head. "I'd love to help you, Your Highness, but trust me, telling you wouldn't do any good. After all, you can hardly pop over to Desier." His eyes went wide, realizing what he'd said seconds after it left his mouth.

"A-ha!" Rita said. "So she went to Desier, huh? I doubt a noble would hope to settle down in Nordopolica, and the only other settlement in Desier is Mantaic. That's where she's gone, isn't it?"

The butler stammered, "Uh - she - n-no…"

"Thank you so much!" Estelle said with a big smile. "This is so helpful to me. My book is going to be wonderful!"

The butler sighed heavily and slouched a bit. "You're welcome… please don't tell Lady Emmery where you got this information."

"We won't!" Estelle said. "Come on, Rita!" She grabbed Rita's hand and hurried away from the mansion. She couldn't wait to tell Flynn about this.


	9. Stowaways

Flynn sat at Yuri's desk, staring at the chess pieces, pencils, and coffee mugs he'd arranged into battle formations. They had been sitting around in Dahngrest for three days, and since there were knights in town looking for them, Flynn wasn't taking any chances by leaving the building. The result was that he was bored out of his mind and had resorted to recreating famous battles with junk from Yuri's desk and attempting to find creative new ways to win.

The door to the room burst open and Yuri strolled in.

Flynn didn't look up from the bundled scarf that was supposed to be Ehmead Hill as he asked, "And what kind of time do you call this?"

Yuri flopped onto his bed. "Usually I call it eight-thirty."

"Where were you?" Flynn turned around and leaned over the back of the chair.

Yuri stared at the ceiling and even though Flynn couldn't see his eyes from this angle, he knew Yuri was rolling them. "I was picking things up from the store, _Mom_."

"We said we'd lay low until we heard back from Estellise," Flynn said. "What if knights saw you?"

"It's Dahngrest, Flynn," Yuri said. "It's not like there are knights lurking around every corner, and the people here aren't going to turn me over to them."

"But you might have been caught! Going out was too risky." Why did Yuri always have to be so reckless? The man had the self-preservation instincts of a lemming!

"Why do you have to be so uptight all the time?" Yuri said. "Besides, you're one to lecture me on maturity. How's the battle going, General? Has the pencil platoon overcome the coffee mug militia yet?"

Flynn swept his arm across the desk, brushing aside the chess piece formations. "That has nothing to do with this!"

Yuri rolled over on his side and grinned at Flynn. "Karol might have some toy soldiers you could borrow. I could ask him for you if you're too embarrassed."

Flynn scowled at him. _Don't get flustered, that's what Yuri wants._ "That will not be necessary. Stop trying to change the subject."

"We're already done with the previous subject."

"But-" the communicator buzzed to life, saving him from having to continue the argument. "Oh! Lady Estellise must have found something."

"Oh, yeah?" Yuri hopped up from the bed and crossed to the desk. He leaned over Flynn's shoulder to see what Estelle had to say.

_Hello, Yuri and Flynn =). Are you there?_

"Yuri, just let me type this time," Flynn said, reaching for the keys. "If you want to tell her something, just say it and I'll write it out for you."

"Fine, fine," Yuri said.

Flynn hoped Yuri would actually listen to him, and then wrote, _Yes, hello Lady Estellise. This is Flynn; we are both present._

"You don't have to say it's Flynn," Yuri said. "She's smart enough to know I'm not going to write 'Lady Estellise'."

"I'm just making sure," Flynn said.

"If you're going to be stupid, let me do the writing."

"No, you don't know how to spell."

"I can spell just fine!"

"Alright, how do you spell 'colonel'?"

"K-"

"No. You lose. I get to write."

While they bickered, Estelle wrote, _I think we found something important! =D Yesterday we went to speak with Lady Emmery, but she was busy so we said we would come back today. When we went to her house today, though, she was gone! =O She skipped town right after she found out we were asking for her, and I think this is very suspicious. Rita agrees with me. We do know that she was out of town last month during the full moon, so she could have easily been in Dahngrest. Also, we figured out that Emmery's family originally came from the are around the Shrine of Baction - that means she must be one of the other potential heirs to the land._

"Emmery?" Yuri said, grabbing the list of suspects from the edge of the desk. "She's on here, isn't she?"

"Yes," Flynn said. "I had a confrontation with her the day of Borden's murder."

"What about?"

"I made a small error on a form and she made a fuss."

"Hm…" Yuri sat on the edge of the desk, staring down at the list of names. "Think it's possible she was just using that as an excuse to yell at you? To get up in your face and distract you long enough to nick your knife?"

Flynn nodded. "I was just thinking that. It's highly possible. She is known to disapprove of me as well. Of course, as far as I know, she only hates me because I don't like math."

"That is an amazingly petty reason," Yuri said. "There's got to be more to it."

"Possibly." Most of the Council made no secret of their hatred for Flynn, so if Emmery had some other reason she kept hiding… Really, there had to be more to it. No one was _that_ passionate about math. There must be another reason, some deep-seated hatred that drove her to outright murder. Estelle must be waiting for a response, so he wrote, _This is great news, Estellise. I think you're right; Emmery matches all of our criteria for the culprit._

"Except the shirt," Yuri said. "She doesn't live at the castle, so how'd she get your shirt?"

"I think we were too hung up on that," Flynn said. "She could have slipped down to the laundry room or sent a servant to do so. There are plenty of explanations."

 _She went to Mantaic_ , Estelle wrote. _At least, we're pretty sure she did =\\. Her butler let slip that she went to Desier, and we don't think she'd seek sanctuary in Nordopolica, so we're pretty sure it's Mantaic._

 _That sound right,_ Flynn said. If she wanted to run away without leaving the empire, Mantaic was the most remote, out-of-the-way location she could have chosen. _Thank you for all your hard work, Lady Estellise. We will depart for Mantaic as soon as possible._

_Good =D! Hopefully this will all be over soon. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you =O! We figured out what that symbol means. Rita says it stands for gold, which means Borden was trying to get that land to make millions in mining._

_I see. That's very interesting._ He should have known it was about money. When it came to nobles, the motive was _always_ money.

_I have to go. Rita and I are going for a walk in the garden =). Please remember, you won't be able to talk to me once you reach Mantaic. It's too far away._

_Yes, we'll remember that. Enjoy your walk._

_I'm sure we will! Goodbye =D._

"Mantaic, huh?" Yuri said. "That's a long trip. How the hell are we going to get there?"

"There's a supply ship leaving from Heliord in three days," Flynn said. "We could try to get passage on that. But, it's a knight ship so we'd need to disguise ourselves…"

"Don't be stupid," Yuri said. "Every knight in the world recognizes you on sight. That's probably our best bet, but we'll have to stowaway."

"But that's illegal."

"So is breaking out of jail."

Flynn pursed his lips. He didn't like the idea of stowing away, but Yuri was right. Getting passage on the ship legally would be impossible, and they needed to get to Mantaic. "You're right. Fine."

"How do you know about that ship, anyway?" Yuri asked.

"Because I'm the one who arranged for it to be sent in the first place," Flynn said. It would be dangerous. The ship would be packed with knights, and once it docked at the coast, it was a long walk south along the Mother Cados Mountains to reach Mantaic. Doing it on their own would be dangerous if they didn't have enough supplies, but doing it with the knights would be dangerous because they could get arrested. The only other option was to find passage to Nordopolica and then travel through the Weasand of Cados, but that was even more dangerous and time consuming. But their chief suspect was in Mantaic, so they would have to get there somehow.

"That's a long trip," Yuri said. "Will we have time to get there and back before the trial?"

"We should," Flynn said. "It's going t be tight, though. We can't afford any delays. If we get caught by the knights, there won't be time to break out of Zaphias to try again."

Flynn heard steps pound up the stairs, and then Karol burst into the room. "Yuri! There are knights down the street!"

Yuri snapped his head to Karol "What?"

"They're knocking on doors."

Raven appeared behind him. "Someone must've seen ya when ya went out just now."

Flynn slammed his fist on the table, sending his pencil regiment rolling to the floor. "Dammit, Yuri!"

Yuri groaned. "What a pain. Alright, we'll have to make a quick exit. At least we know where we're going now."

"Oh yeah?" Raven asked, stroking his chin. "Where's that?"

"Mantaic," Flynn said. "We're going to stowaway on a ship from Heliord."

"Assumin' ya get out of Dahngrest," Raven said. "Those knights mean business."

"Come on," Yuri said, already throwing his things into his bag. "It's dark; we'll slip out the back."

* * *

Karol had lent them hooded cloaks to help them sneak out of Dahngrest without their identities being seen. With the hood up, Yuri thought he still looked pretty suspicious, but he supposed looking suspicious was better than looking like wanted criminal Yuri Lowell. He said a quick goodbye to Karol, and then the two of them snuck out the back door and into an alley. They crept to the end of the alley where it came out on the street behind the Brave Vesperia building, and then Yuri poked his head out. He glanced up and down the road, scanning for knights. "I don't see any," he said.

"Shall we move out?"

"Might as well." He stepped out onto the street. It was mostly deserted, and there weren't enough street lamps to illuminate it. The two of them darted through the shadows, Yuri grateful that the Brave Vesperia building wasn't too far from the city's exit. To get out, though, they were going to have to cross through the more populated main square, which was better lit and harder to slip through unnoticed. Yuri was confident he could elude the knights - Flynn, though…. Flynn had many sterling qualities, but stealth and running away did not feature among them.

At the end of the street, they rounded a corner and walked with a brisk pace toward the lights of the main square. When they reached it, Yuri hesitated. Clumps of people moved throughout the square, but not enough to conceal them. They would need that concealment, because Yuri also spotted his old friends Tweedle A and Tweedle B dawdling off to the side, carefully avoiding the guildsmen giving them angry looks.

"Let's go for it," Yuri said. They couldn't avoid being seen, but with cloaks to conceal their faces, they might not be stopped. They set out across the square at a brisk pace, making a beeline for the bridge. Yuri carefully wove between the people in the square, glancing over at Adecor and Boccos every minute to check if they'd been spotted yet. His heart raced - this plan had to work. They needed to get Flynn out of the city, because getting caught would leave them no time to catch Emmery. When they set out from Zaphias two weeks ago, it had felt like they had all the time in the world. Now their time was half up, and the date of Flynn's trial loomed over them.

Yuri was distracted from his thoughts by a voice. "You there! Lower your hoods!"

He glanced toward Boccos, who was hurrying toward them with Adecor at his side. Yuri quickened his pace.

"Stop, I say! Let us see your faces!"

"We'd better hurry."

Yuri glanced back at his companion and then gave a quick nod. "Yeah. Looks like we got their attention. Come on!" He took off running. There was no point leading the Tweedles to the bridge, so he ran for a street that branched off from the square. They dodged around a group of gossipping women and then tore down the street, the Tweedles in hot pursuit. Leblanc wasn't with them, and Yuri wondered if he'd left these two clowns behind in hopes of keeping them out of the way.

Yuri had always been the faster runner, so he took the lead. Adrenaline rushed through him as it always did when he ran from the knights, and even though they had been spotted and were running for their lives, Yuri found that he actually sort of enjoyed it. Once Flynn became commandant, he'd had remarkably fewer run-ins with the law, and he hadn't realized just how much he missed the thrill of the chase. Adecor and Boccos stomping along behind them and yelling at them to, "Stop, I say!" made it all the better.

He was the only one who seemed to be enjoying it, though. "Hurry up, are you out of breath already?" Yuri asked with a laugh.

"Not at… all," came the panting response. "How much… farther… do we… run?"

Yuri glanced over his shoulder without breaking stride. "Just a little more."

They sprinted through the streets for another five minutes, leading the Tweedles on a merry race through the city. They were at least half a mile away from the square now, so Yuri figured it was safe enough to lose the knights and then sneak back to the bridge. He darted down a side street, cobblestones flying past his vision. At the end of the street he glanced over his shoulder to see Adecor and Boccos trailing behind, and then tore around the corner.

The realization that this street was a dead-end hit him like a brick to the face, much like the brick wall that literally smashed him in the face. He ran straight into the wall and then toppled backward with a grunt. "Argh…"

"Careful! There's a wall there!"

Yuri glared up at him, one hand trying to stem the blood from his nose. "Noded, danks." He rested his other hand on the brick wall and got back to his feet. "Ugh, was dat always dere?"

"I say, we've got you cornered now!"

"Oh, gread," Yuri said, turning back to face them. One hand still covered his nose, which he was pretty sure was broken. Damn wall; maybe he should spend more time in Dahngrest. He knew all the back streets of Zaphias, but he wasn't as familiar with Dahngrest's escape routes. His fall had thrown his hood off his face, so trying to pretend he was anyone other than Yuri Lowell would be pointless. "Hey dere, Dweedles A an' B. Been a while." It would probably sound a lot cooler if he wasn't trying to talk through his rapidly swelling nose. He could really use a First Aid right about now.

"You attacked me in Capua Nor, I say!" Adecor yelled.

"Oh, yeah, dat was you, wasn' id?"

"Give yourselves up!" Boccos said. "You are both under arrest."

"Yeah, alrighd," Yuri said. "You can arres' be, bud you'll have do led dis guy go, seeing as he's done noding wrong." This was almost as bad as trying to speak after getting hit by the pollen at Ehmead Hill. Just his luck something like this would happen.

"That is up to the court to decide, I say!" Adecor waved his sword. Yuri thought it was supposed to be threatening, but mostly it reminded Yuri of when he and Flynn had gotten their first wooden sword as small children and waved it around without a clue what they were doing.

"That's right," Boccos said. "The commandant must stand trial to determine his guilt."

"Who're ya callin' the commandant?" He swept the hood off his head with a big grin, causing Adecor and Boccos to jump back with expressions of shock.

"S-Sir Raven!" they cried at the same time.

Raven shook his head and covered his eyes with his hand. "Geeze, how many times do I got ta tell ya? It's just Raven!"

Boccos clearly had no idea how he was supposed to deal with this turn of events. "But… but if you're Sir Just Raven… then where is the commandant?"

Yuri laughed, which came out more as a few choked gasps around his broken nose. "He an' Karol are brobably oud of the cidy already. Couldn' hab been doo hard once we god you clowns away from da bridge!"

"You tricked us, I say!"

"And you, Yuri Lowell, are still under arrest!"

"I don't think so," Raven said. "Atten- _shun_! Men, the fugitive Flynn Scifo is escaping across town! Go, capture that man and make your captain proud!"

Adecor and Boccos snapped to attention. "Y-yes sir!" They spun in a circle, Boccos knocking Adecor in the head with his spear in their rush to follow orders.

Once they were gone, Yuri laughed and leaned against the wall. "I dot you were done wid Schwann, Ol' Ban?"

Raven shrugged. "The voice has its uses. So, ya think the ol' commandant has had time ta get out by now?"

"Brobably," Yuri said, pulling off the cloak and using it to wipe up the blood flowing down his chin. "Led's go beet up wid hib, because I wan' a Firsd Aid."

"Ya know, maybe ya should just stop trying to talk."

"I'b fine!"

"Sure ya are."

* * *

Flynn and Karol waited in the trees beyond Dahngrest, watching the bridge. They'd snuck out of the building right after Yuri and Raven, and then darted across the square to the bridge after the other two drew Adecor and Boccos away. Flynn had protested the plan at first, because he hated the idea of using someone else as bait to save his own neck, but Yuri had insisted. After all, he'd said, out of all of them, Flynn was the one who couldn't risk being arrested. The others didn't have an execution sentence hanging over their heads.

"Do you think they're ok?" Karol asked, gazing at the bridge.

"I'm sure they are," Flynn said. "Adecor and Boccos have never been a problem for Yuri before. Even if they do get caught, it won't be too difficult to rescue them."

"Actually…" Karol said, glancing over at Flynn nervously, "before they left, Yuri made me promise we wouldn't go after them."

Flynn frowned. "What?"

"He said you didn't have time to go running after him, and that if he and Raven got caught, I needed to make sure you kept going to Mantaic."

Flynn sighed. "Of course he did." That was just like Yuri, getting himself in trouble to protect his friends. Of course Flynn would have to stick to that deal; Yuri would be furious if he got arrested and then Flynn didn't even take advantage of his sacrifice. Yuri could handle himself - he always had. "Will you be coming with me to Mantaic if they don't make it, then?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," Karol said. "I could if you want me to. We don't really have anything going on with the guild right now."

"I believe I will be fine on my own," Flynn said. This trip was going to be dangerous, and he didn't like the idea of taking a kid with him. Logically speaking, he knew Karol could hold his own. Yuri had told him about what had happened at the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, and Karol had confronted both Alexei and Duke. He was clearly no average thirteen-year-old, and perhaps he'd change his mind if he'd spent as much time with him as Yuri had, but Flynn couldn't stop seeing him as just a kid. "How is your guild going, by the way?"

"It's great!" Karol said. "Business is going well and thanks to our rise to fame during the Adephagos crisis we're already pretty influential within the Union. Although…" his grin fell somewhat. "Beyond the big guilds we've worked with like Altosk and Fortune's Market, there are a lot of people who aren't happy with us. We're a pretty small and young guild, and I'm… you know, not the oldest guild boss. A bunch of the smaller guilds don't think we deserve the attention we get."

Flynn nodded. "I believe I understand exactly how you feel."

"Oh, yeah, it's probably the same for you, isn't it? Being the commandant sounds really hard. I just have three people working for me, and one of them's a dog. You've got the entire military!"

Flynn forced a smile. "Heh. Don't remind me."

"When we started our guild, I thought being a guild boss was all I could ever dream of. It turns out that leading a guild is a lot harder than I thought."

"Leadership always looks glamorous when you're not the one doing the paperwork."

"But, I think we're doing ok," Karol said. "I know I'm not the best boss, and I know our guild messes up sometimes, but I don't think we have to be perfect all the time. We try our best and we help people, and I think that's all I could ever hope for."

"What you have going for you is the fact that you are a small, inexperienced guild." Flynn leaned forward, his eyes locked on the ground. He was talking to himself now more than Karol. "No one expects you to be perfect. You impress people simply by not imploding." Like a dancing bear, Flynn thought. Impressive because they could dance at all, regardless of the dancing's quality. If everybody applauded the bear, did it convince itself it was an amazing dancer? And how would the audience react if they found out that someone else had performed half it's dance moves? He realized they'd been sitting in silence for about half a minute, and looked over to Karol with a frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that your guild hasn't done anything worthy of accolade. I was just… talking to myself, I suppose."

Karol nodded slowly. "It's alright. I know we're not the most impressive guild. And you know…" he hesitated, glancing at Flynn nervously. "Most of the Union thinks you're doing a great job," he finally said. "Of course, they're comparing you to Alexei, so…."

"If I don't compare favourably to the man who almost destroyed the world, I would be considerably disappointed in myself." Flynn spotted movement by the bridge and sat upright. "They're coming."

"Thank goodness," Karol said. "Why does Yuri always have to worry me?"

"If he didn't, he wouldn't be our Yuri."

Karol smiled. "That's true. You know, you should come visit us in Dahngrest more often. I think Yuri misses you."

"Miss me?" He looked over with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. Before he went back to Zaphias, he talked about you all the time. It was always Flynn this or Flynn that. It was getting annoying, honestly."

"I'm, uh, sorry about that." He was surprised to hear that Yuri talked about him that much. He certainly didn't think he spoke about Yuri nearly that often. Although, he did recall that Lady Estellise told him that after she met Yuri, she felt like she already knew him from how much Flynn had told her about him. Maybe he did talk about Yuri too much.

Karol smiled. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just think you should visit more. It would make him happy, I think. Although," he looked to Yuri and Raven hurrying toward them with a bit of a smirk, "he would never admit it himself and you had better not tell him I said this."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

They stopped talking just as Yuri and Raven arrived. The first thing Flynn noticed was that either Yuri had very messily eaten something smothered in ketchup, or he had a broken nose. Flynn jumped to his feet. "Yuri! Are you alright?"

"I'b fine," he said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. All he managed to do was smear the blood around.

"You're clearly not. Hold on, let me fix that." Half a minute later, he casted First Aid and Yuri's nose returned to its proper position. "There. What happened?"

"Nothing," Yuri said, pulling the cloak off his shoulders and wiping his face. "We ran into a bit of trouble, that's all."

"The kid ran headlong inta a brick wall," Raven helpfully supplied.

Yuri glared at him over the cloak around his face. "Thanks a lot, Old Man."

Karol snickered. "You ran into a wall? Wow, Yuri, how heroic."

"I swear that wall wasn't there the last time I was in Dahngrest."

"Yeah," Raven said. "That'd explain the decades-old brickwork."

Yuri scowled at him and then tossed the bloodied cloak to Karol when his face was clean. Karol looked down at it with a wrinkled nose. "Anyway," Yuri said, "are we going to hang around and chitchat or are we going to head to Heliord?"

"We're leaving," Flynn said. "Karol, Raven, thank you very much for your assistance."

"No problem!" Karol said. "If I see Judith, I'll let her know where you're going. Maybe she can give you a ride home."

"I hope so," Yuri said. "It was good seeing you, Karol. I'll try to be back in Dahngrest soon, alright?"

"Ok, Yuri. Good luck."

"Hey, what about the old man?" Raven said, one hand over his chest. "Aren't ya gonna say it was good ta see me, too?"

"I'm not going to tell a lie around the shiny commandant," Yuri said, walking away. "Let's go, Flynn."

* * *

"I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to actually make your bed for once."

"Oh, for the love of… give it a rest, Flynn!" Yuri was dangerously close to giving up on saving Flynn's life and instead strangling him to death here and now, saving the Council the trouble of a trial. "The cleanliness of my room has nothing to do with you."

"It does when I have to stay with you for a few days, and don't pretend you didn't do this when we lived together, either."

"Look, we're almost at Heliord, so drop it." They'd left Dahngrest over two days ago, and the long walk across Tolbyccia with only each other for company was beginning to wear on them. Yuri had never been so happy to see a city at the end of the road.

"Don't change the subject. Do you have any idea what you put me through for years? You left the room in complete disarray."

"No, I left _my_ half of the room in casual untidiness. _Your_ half was always spotless."

"But your crap inevitably leaked over onto my side! And then who always had to clean up after you?"

"Hey, I never asked you to pick up my stuff," Yuri said. "In fact, you always put my stuff away and then I couldn't find it."

"Yes, how thoughtless of me," Flynn said. "Why would it even occur to me that you would consider looking for your shirt in the closet?"

"I left my stuff on the chair because I knew I was going to wear it again the next day."

"But then it fell off the chair and onto my side of the room and then your uniform was a wrinkled mess, which is completely unprofessional for a knight."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I left the knights!" The only redeeming feature of this argument was that they'd had it enough times before that Yuri only needed to half pay attention.

"Why are you so irresponsible? Just pick up after yourself once in a while. How can you live like that?"

"Believe it or not," Yuri said, "it is in fact possible to go to sleep in a bed that hasn't been made with military precision. Now stop yelling at me."

Flynn groaned in frustration. "I had to sleep on your floor for the past few days. Do you know how much of your crap I had to move just to find room to lie down? Would it kill you to put things away and not leave them scattered like a hurricane passed through? You are the sloppiest, most immature-"

Yuri covered his ears with his hands. "I'm not listening to you anymore."

"What did I just say about being immature?!"

"I don't know, I'm not listening!"

Flynn continued on his tirade, which Yuri maturely responded to by pressing his hands tighter against his ears and ignoring everything he said. Nothing had really changed since they had this argument when they were fifteen. Yuri stubbornly kept his hands over his ears all the way to Heliord, which only pissed Flynn off more. Yuri took childish satisfaction in this.

They both quit the moment they entered Heliord. Yuri lowered his arms and asked, "So, where's this ship?"

"It will be down by the docks."

"Do you know anything about stowing away on a ship?"

Flynn hesitated, and then tried, "It's… illegal?"

Yuri sighed. "You have no idea how to get onto this ship, do you?"

Flynn frowned. "I was hoping you would have expertise in this matter."

"It's not like I've ever stowed away before. We got the Fiertia fair and square, remember?"

"Yes, I know that. I wasn't accusing you of anything. I only thought that if we're going to do something illegal, between the two of us, you're more likely to know how to do it."

Yuri would argue, but since he already had an idea forming, Flynn probably had a point. "Fine."

The trip to the docks took longer than it should have, because they took back roads to avoid being seen. Yuri wasn't sure if the Schwann Brigade had followed them to Heliord, but they must know they'd left Dahngrest. Heliord was the nearest city to Dahngrest, so it wouldn't be too hard to guess they were coming this way. There was only one ship at the dock, which was in the process of being loaded up. The pair crouched behind a low stone wall near the stacks of crates, trunks, and barrels that were being loaded onto the ship.

"What's the plan?" Flynn asked. "Is there any way to do this breaking as few laws as possible?"

A bird chirped. Waves gently lapped at the dock. Yuri waited for Flynn to laugh. When he didn't, Yuri slowly turned his head, somehow not at all surprised by the earnest expression on Flynn's face. Yuri couldn't even think of anything to say.

"What?" Flynn asked innocently.

"What… Flynn! You've been charged with murder, you broke out of prison, you ran from and fought with knights, and now you're worried about _breaking as few laws as possible_ while _smuggling yourself onto a ship_?"

"…Yes," Flynn said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

"At this point, do you really think it matters!?"

"Obeying the law is always important!" Flynn insisted. "We have to break a few laws to catch this criminal, but there's no reason to commit any more crimes than is necessary."

" _Hell_ , Flynn, you are such a square." Yuri shook his head with a bit of a smile. He supposed that if Flynn started running around breaking laws as cavalierly as Yuri did, he wouldn't really be Flynn anymore. "Anyway, my plan isn't very original. We're just going to climb into some of the cargo and let the dockhands carry us aboard."

"Ok. Which cargo?"

"Uh…" Yuri gazed over the cargo, searching for something large enough to hold them. He pointed forward and said, "There. Those crates. Quick, before the dockhands come back and pick them up."

Yuri grabbed Flynn's arm and pulled him over the wall, afraid Flynn would chicken out. They dashed across the short stretch of dock to the crates. Yuri tore off the lid of one and found it about half-full with folded blankets. "Good enough. Get in there."

Flynn hesitated, glancing around the dock. "Are you sure-"

Yuri rolled his eyes and then grabbed the back of Flynn's shirt and the seat of his pants and tossed him into the crate.

"Ack! Yuri!"

"Relax and don't make a sound. Stay put until I come find you." He pulled the lid of the crate back on top before Flynn could protest again. Yuri pulled the lid off a barrel and found it about three-fourths full of beans. He climbed in, sinking into the beans and pulling the lid back over his head. He tried to get comfortable, but it was hard with his knees pulled up to his chest and beans slipping down his shirt. He thought enviously of the cozy blankets Flynn was curled up on and wondered why he always ended up with the short end of the stick.

He sat quietly for about ten minutes until he heard voices. The barrel shifted and then he felt himself rise into the air.

"Ugh," someone said. "Was this one always this heavy?"

"Shut up and stop complaining. We're late already."

Yuri barely dared to breathe as he was carried onto the ship. The light filtering through the cracks in the barrel dimmed when they went below decks and a few minutes later he hid the ground with a thud. He heard footsteps, and then silence. He was pretty sure he was alone in the hold now, but he wouldn't risk getting out of the barrel until the ship was under way. He sat quietly and waited. It was hard, because little hard beans dug into his skin when he tried to lean back and his legs were sore from being pulled up to his chest for this long. Flynn had better appreciate getting the comfy crate. Every time he shifted his weight, more beans managed to find their way down his shirt. It would probably help if he actually buttoned it up and didn't leave a gaping opening over his chest, but it was a bit late to think of that now. He couldn't even rustle around and try to dislodge them, because he kept hearing steps as the rest of the cargo was loaded around him.

It felt like forever, but at long last he felt movement below him again and the ship slowly crept out of port. He sat tight for another half hour, making sure he was truly alone and they had put some distance between them and the shore, and then burst forth from the barrel of beans with a sigh of relief. Beans rained down from his shirt like he was some ancient god surfacing from the depths of the ocean… of beans.

"Damn," he muttered to himself and he clambered out of the barrel. "I'm never eating those bastards again." The cargo hold was dark, the only light filtering down from the entrance about fifty feet away. Luckily, he'd been sitting in a dark bean hell for about an hour, so his eyes were already adjusted. He looked around at the identical wooden crates with a frown. "Hey… Flynn?" he called, as loud as he dared. "Flynn, I don't know which box you're in. Hello?"

He heard a creak of wood, and spun around to see Flynn popping up from a crate a few feet away. "Are we safe now?"

"Uh, sort of," Yuri said, walking over. "We're going to have to stay hidden until we get to Mantaic." Yuri held out his hand to help Flynn hop down from the crate. "Shouldn't be too difficult. There's enough food down here to snack on and as long as we keep quiet."

"Good. It should take about three days to reach Mantaic." He paused and stared at Yuri. "Why do you have a bean in your hair?"

Yuri let out a cry of rage.

* * *

"You have to eat something," Yuri said.

"No," Flynn groaned with his eyes closed. "What's the point? I'll just throw it up again."

They'd been at sea now for about three days. Yuri had laughed at Flynn getting seasick when they took the ship from Capua Nor, but it was suddenly a lot less funny when they were holed up in a dark storage room with limited food and water. Yuri did his best to clean up with blankets, but there was only so much he could do. "You haven't eaten anything since breakfast," Yuri said. "Come on, you must be hungry."

Flynn leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his stomach. "I _am_ hungry but I don't want to put anything in my stomach." The seasickness had set in midway through the second day, and progressively worsened. He now slumped against the hull of the ship with a pale, sweaty face and a grimace, occasionally leaning over to throw up in the bucket Yuri had found.

Yuri sat next to him, doing his best to help. He felt useless and wished Estelle were here, because even if her healing couldn't cure seasickness she at least knew what to do around sick people, while Yuri had the bedside manner of a particularly uncharismatic brick. He didn't really like having to take care of Flynn, because Flynn was his rock. He could always rely on Flynn to take care of problems, and the world felt funny when Flynn was suddenly out-of-commission. It was like if north took a holiday from being on a compass.

"At least drink water," Yuri said, pulling his water canteen out of his bag. "You'll get dehydrated if you throw up a lot."

Flynn gave the canteen a disgruntled look. Clearly he found the prospect of introducing even that benign a liquid into his stomach to be a risk. But, Flynn knew more about first aid than Yuri did and he at least knew the importance of keeping yourself hydrated. "Fine," he grumbled, reaching out a clammy hand.

Yuri unscrewed the cap for him and handed it over. Flynn already gone through his own water canteen earlier, trying to wash his mouth out every time he threw up. He'd eventually given up. He took a huge swig of water and then groaned again. "I think we should reach Desier some time tomorrow."

"That's good," Yuri said. "What's the plan from there?" He hoped that if he got Flynn to concentrate on something else it would take his mind off his misery.

"Most of the knights will leave the ship and set out on the convoy to Mantaic. Once they're gone, it will be easier for us to sneak off the ship. Then we can make the trip to Mantaic ourselves."

"We'll probably need to steal some food and water supplies before we leave the ship," Yuri said. "You've got the last of our water there and I wouldn't want to cross Desier without any, even if we are on a road."

Flynn nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Yuri frowned. He must feel truly terrible if he didn't even protest the word 'steal'. "What are you going to do when we catch Emmery? Are you going to arrest her?"

"I'm…" his face scrunched him, he clutched his stomach, and then he leaned over and threw up again. His stomach was pretty empty, so there wasn't much to it. Still leaning over the bucket, he coughed a few times and then said, "I'm sorry, Yuri, I can't concentrate on anything right now."

"Ah. Sorry. Uh, is there anything I can?"

Flynn pulled himself back and slumped against the wall again. He took a deep breath and said, "Just leave me here to die."

"Ah, come on, you don't want to give the Council that kind of satisfaction, do you?"

He took another long drink from the canteen, tipping his head back until the last drop fell out. Then he tossed the empty canteen to Yuri. "Ugh. By order of the Commandant, all ships are to be burned and sailing outlawed."

"Uh-oh, I think we might be treading into abuse of power territory here."

"Hm," Flynn said, eyes closed again.

Yuri sighed and leaned back. "You're no fun when you're sick."

"I'm sorry my discomfort is such a trial for you." The ship heaved as it hit a wave, which was shortly followed by Flynn's stomach doing the same thing. He leaned over the bucket again with a groan.

Yuri sat back, trying not to get irritated with Flynn. Obviously it wasn't his fault, but that didn't mean that this wasn't a huge pain and smelled awful.

A few minutes later, Flynn sat up and wiped his mouth with one of the blankets. "Water," he croaked.

"We don't have any more," Yuri said. "You finished it off."

"Oh… yeah…" He fell back, his head hitting the wooden hull with a _thunk_. He sat still, taking long, deep breaths and looking like a living personification of misery.

They sat like this for a few minutes. Yuri frowned; he hated seeing Flynn like this. Flynn was supposed to be strong all the time, and he wasn't sure what to do when Flynn needed to be taken care of. After a couple more minutes of listening to his hoarse breathing, Yuri stood up. "I'm going to get you some water."

Flynn opened his eyes and raised his head. "Where?"

"There should be a barrel of water in the kitchen on the level above us. I'm going to go refill the canteens."

Flynn reached out and grabbed his calf. "Yuri, no. You'll get caught."

"What, you have so little faith in me?" He easily tugged his leg out Flynn's grip. "I'm hurt. I'll be back before you know it."

"Be careful," Flynn mumbled as Yuri walked away.

Yuri waved his hand as he continued to leave. "Yeah, just don't die on me or anything, got it?" He made his way through the hold and to the steps leading to the upper level. He paused, listening for any sign of life at the top of the stairs.

All was quiet, so he carefully made his way up. It was nice to get a chance to stretch his legs, even if it was because Flynn was sick. He went through the door and found himself in an empty corridor, dimly lit with lanterns hanging from the walls. There were footsteps above him, but the corridor was empty. Yuri wasn't an expert on ship layouts, but the scent of three-day-old cheese emanated from the open door at the end of the hall, so he took a wild guess that the kitchen was that way. He moved quickly, well aware that knights could come down at any moment. He slipped through the doorway and into the empty kitchen. Right by the door was a barrel filled with water.

"Bingo," Yuri muttered to himself, dipping the canteen into the barrel. When it was full, he pulled it out and screwed the cap back on. He was just about to leave when he heard stomping footsteps coming down the hall toward him. His heart skipped a beat and he took once second to glance around the room before diving behind the barrel. He pulled a crate toward him to conceal himself better and crouched, holding his breath.

"Make good food, they said!" a man grumbled, entering the kitchen. "I'd like to see them make decent food on a ship at sea! No respect." The man thumped around the kitchen, opening cupboards and carrying things to the table in the middle. Yuri crouched behind the barrel, barely daring to breathe. This had better not take too long. He hated the idea of leaving Flynn alone for too long when he was so miserable.

More footsteps approached, and Yuri closed his eyes in frustration. Two more knights came into the room, and one of them said, "Hey, where's lunch?"

"Give me at least ten minutes!" the cook said, accompanied by a loud chop. "Get out of here you ungrateful bastards."

"Fine, but get a move on, we're hungry!" The other two knights left, and Yuri glared at the cook through a gap between the barrel and the crate, urging him to leave.

About ten minutes later, the cook finally set his knife down and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him and muttering curse words all the way. As soon as he was gone, Yuri stood up. He wasn't about to wait for him to come back and delay him any longer. He hopped over the crate and ran for the door. He was there in two paces, and flung it open to make a run for the hold.

Unfortunately, the two knights from before had returned to check on the status of their lunch. Yuri froze, the knights about two feet in front of him. One of them had his arm frozen, reaching for the doorknob.

"Uh… hi," Yuri said. Options raced through his mind, but there weren't many. The knights blocked the path ahead of him, and behind him was the cramped kitchen. Even if he did escape, there were only so many places to run on a ship. Now that they knew he was here, he could hardly hope to avoid notice for the rest of the trip. Knowing how pointless it was to run, he didn't fight as the pair grabbed his arms.

"A stowaway!" one of them yelled.

"You thieving scum! We'll see if the captain's impressed!"

Yuri sighed as the pair dragged him down the corridor. He thought longingly of the sword he'd left with Flynn, but even if he had it, he didn't know what he'd do. He didn't like the idea of killing two knights who were just doing their job, and as soon as they went missing the rest of the crew would realize something was up and do a thorough search of the ship anyway. Damn, escaping from the knights was significantly harder with hundreds of miles of ocean surrounding them.

The knights led him upstairs and onto the deck. After hiding in the hold for a few days, the bright sun was as blinding as the breeze was refreshing. He squinted against the light as the knights pulled him across the deck.

"Captain! Captain!" one of them yelled. "Look at what we found swiping food in the galley!"

They came to a stop, and Yuri's eyes finally adjusted enough to see a man in a knight captain's uniform walking toward them. "What's going on?" the man said.

"We caught this stowaway below decks," one of the knights said. He kicked Yuri's leg and said, "Thought you could get a free ride to Desier, huh?"

The captain gave the knights an annoyed look, and then his eyes fell on Yuri. "You idiots," he growled. "Are ya totally blind? This is Yuri Lowell. His face is on wanted posters from Heliord to Mantaic!"

"He… oh…" the knight glanced at him. "Uh… you're right. Yeah. I knew that."

The knights slackened their grip, and Yuri took the chance to shake them off. He wasn't about to run, but he was fed up with the manhandling. He looked to the captain with a grin and said, "Looks like I'm famous."

"Just throw him in the brig and we'll drop him off with the authorities in Mantaic."

"Yes, sir!" the other knight said, hastily saluting.

"And do a search of the ship, too," the captain said. "If Lowell's here, I'd bet my hat the commandant is here somewhere too."

"Are you kidding?" Yuri said. "After that idiot almost got us caught in Capua Nor, I ditched him. He's probably in Dahngrest."

"Nice try," the captain said. "I'll believe it after we search the ship."

It didn't take long to find Flynn, since he wasn't in any shape to run and hide. Within half an hour of Yuri arriving in the wooden-barred cell, knights arrived with Flynn's armed draped over their shoulders. There was only one bed in the cell, which was actually just a wooden bench, but Yuri got up to let Flynn lie down. Another knight hurried in behind them with arms full of pillows and blankets to make him as comfortable as possible.

"Can we get you anything else, Commandant?" one of them said.

"Do you want soup or anything?"

"We can get you anything you need, sir!"

Flynn shook his head. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "It's not like he's dying or anything."

"Be quiet!" one of the knights snapped. "The commandant is ill!"

"He's just seasick!" Yuri had thought that maybe this experience would at least give Flynn an idea of what jail was like, but by now it was obvious that Flynn's experiences with being arrested were a far cry from anything Yuri had ever encountered.

"Let us know if we can get you anything, sir!" one of the knights said.

"I don't suppose I could get a burger?" Yuri tried.

"Shut up, you," another knight snapped. They left the cell, locked the door, and walked away.

Once they were alone, Flynn looked over at him. "Yuri… I'm sorry. I didn't ask them to give me preferential treatment."

"Don't worry about it," Yuri said, sitting on the ground and leaning against the bars. "I'm used to it. The shock of being treated like an actual criminal might kill you."

"I could handle it," Flynn protested. "I'm not… I'm…" Flynn groaned, leaned over the bed, and threw up again.

Yuri frowned with a sigh. "Let's save this argument until we get to solid ground."


	10. Out of the Frying Pan

Estelle curled up on her couch, reading the book Rita had bought for her. At least, she was _trying_ to read. Rita and Ted sat across from her, arguing. Estelle tried to zone them out, but it was difficult.

"We were doing just fine before you got here," Ted insisted. "Stop acting like you saved the day."

"Oh, please," Rita said. "Stop saying 'we' like you and Estelle contributed equally. You're just tagging along."

"I contributed lots! Tell her, Princess Estellise!"

Estelle glanced up from her book. The escapades of dashing knights were much more interesting than Rita and Ted's petty feud. "You've both helped very much," she said neutrally.

"You don't even call her 'Estelle'!" Rita said. "Stop acting like you and Estelle are so buddy-buddy."

Estelle focused on her book. She didn't want to listen to Rita and Ted bicker about who was a better friend, she wanted to learn how the noble knight Sir Samuel would win the trust of King Havelock.

"Estelle, would you talk to him already?" Rita snapped. "This little brat is getting on my nerves."

"I was here first!" Ted said.

"What are you talking about? I've been friends with Estelle for over a year!"

Estelle withheld a sigh of frustration. "I like both of you," she said. "Please stop fighting."

"He started it!" Rita said.

"Rita, you're four years older than him. Shouldn't you be more mature?"

"Ha!" Ted said, pointing mockingly at Rita. "See, Princess Estellise likes me more!"

"You're delusional, brat," Rita said.

"Ted, you need to behave more maturely, too," Estelle said. She pulled her book closer to her face. Sir Samuel was swearing his allegiance to the king, which was infinitely more interesting than Rita and Ted right now.

"See, Estelle thinks you're an annoying brat, too," Rita said. "She's just too polite to say it."

"No way!" Ted said. "Princess Estellise, tell Rita that you like me!"

"Stop getting Estelle to settle everything for you."

"You're doing the same thing!"

Estelle tightened her grip on the pages. They must get bored soon. She just needed to focus on how Sir Samuel was presenting his sword to the king as a symbol of his allegiance.

"Estelle, tell him to stop being dumb!"

"Princess Estellise, tell her to stop being mean!"

 _Don't get into it_ , she told herself. Don't get between them. Just focus on the story. Focus on Sir Samuel… Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. "I got it!"

Rita and Ted stopped fighting long enough to look over at her. "Got what?" Rita asked.

"The knife!"

"What knife?" Ted asked.

"The knife found in Borden's room," Estelle said, closing her book around her finger.

Rita looked confused. "Flynn's knife?"

"No, _Peel's_ knife," Estelle said, a bit annoyed that the others were taking so long to get this. "Look, right here." She sat up and grabbed Borden's file off the coffee table. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "See, right here, Borden says he's already arranged security and support from the knights. But, Flynn knows nothing about this so obviously he doesn't mean _all_ the knights. It must mean that he got support from a specific knight who will back him and provide him with security."

"You think it was Peel?" Rita said, leaning forward to look down at the paper.

"It's got to be!" Estelle said excitedly. "Just like in this book! Peel must have given his knife to Borden as a show of allegiance. That's why he gave Borden the knife several days before this whole thing started, and _that's_ why he's so determined to catch Flynn!"

Rita nodded in understanding. "If Peel was in league with Borden, he would have gotten a huge payout when Borden made a fortune on this land. He thinks Flynn murdered his million gald ticket."

"No wonder he's so adamant about catching Flynn," Estelle said. She jumped up and ran to her desk. "I need to tell Flynn." She didn't even bother sitting down before typing, _Flynn! Yuri! Are you there? I figured something out 8D!_

She waited expectantly, but didn't see the familiar rumble of a response. Rita leaned over the back of the couch and said, "They're probably out of range. They've probably nearly reached the desert by now."

"Oh…" Estelle's excitement slumped. There wasn't really anything they could do with this discovery other than tell Flynn, and Flynn wasn't available to be told.

"Don't worry about it," Rita said. "You can tell him once they come back into range."

"Yes, I'll do that." She turned around and returned to the couch. "Oh, Ted, it's getting a bit late, don't you think?"

"It's not that late," Ted protested.

"You're mom is probably getting worried about you," Estelle said, glancing at the clock. It wasn't that late - only around five - but honestly she was so fed up with him and Rita fighting that she wanted to separate them.

"Ok…" Ted said, reluctantly getting to his feet. "I can come back tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Alright. Goodbye, Princess Estellise!" He didn't say goodbye to Rita, though Rita didn't seem to care.

Once he was gone, Estelle sat down next to Rita. "You should be nicer to Ted, Rita. He's just a kid."

Rita crossed her arms and scowled. "He's annoying. You still haven't talked to him, have you? That little brat still thinks he has a chance with you."

"Rita… you don't have to compete with Ted for my affection."

Rita's face turned redder than her outfit. "W-what? I'm not competing with anyone!"

Estelle wrapped her arms around Rita and pulled her close. With her cheek resting on Rita's head, she said, "You've already won, silly."

* * *

Flynn's seasickness cleared up within an hour of arriving in Desier. Unfortunately, this was an hour too late to enact a thrilling escape attempt. During the chaos of docking and unloading the ship, Yuri was sure he could have slipped away from the knights. However, he couldn't do it while dragging a drowsy and ill Flynn with him, and leaving Flynn behind was not an option. So he sat in the sand and waited patiently for the knights to get moving and for Flynn to come to his senses again.

That had been about four hours ago. They were now en route to Mantaic, following the rough dirt road that bordered the line between the mountains and the desert. The knights hadn't been prepared to escort prisoners, so they made do with Yuri handcuffed to the back of the cart and Flynn handcuffed to him. The walk was long, hot, and the wheels of the cart right in front of them stirred dust up in their faces. Yuri felt pulled in two directions with his right hand stretched out to the cart and his left attached to Flynn.

"I'm sorry," Flynn said, breaking the silence. "If I hadn't gotten seasick, we never would have gotten caught."

"It's fine," Yuri said. "Your punishment for getting seasick is that you had to deal with being seasick."

"I feel bad that I got you caught up in all of this," Flynn said. "This was my problem, but I managed to get you in trouble along the way."

"I made my own choices," Yuri said. "You didn't force me to break you out."

"Still… I feel terrible that the first time you share in my glory is when its negative."

"Actually, that sounds pretty expected for me."

"I'm sorry, Yuri. I wish I could share my good fortune with you as well as the bad."

"Don't worry about it," Yuri said. "I'm not interested in your fame and admirers. I think I would die of shame if I ever got an anonymous love letter." It was easy to blow Flynn off, but really, if he shared the spotlight with Flynn that would defeat the purpose of him being the one to do the dirty work. He was under the impression they had their system worked out - Flynn was the white knight with a perfect reputation, while Yuri got his hands dirty cleaning up the pieces Flynn couldn't reach.

"I don't get - well…" Flynn frowned. "I don't get _that_ many love letters."

Yuri laughed. "How does it feel to be the empire's most eligible bachelor? Oh, my heart is all aflutter just being near you!" He had been about to mockingly wave his hand in front of his face, but the handcuffs prevented that.

"Shut up, Yuri," Flynn said.

"Anyway, do you have a plan for getting out of here?"

"Hm…" Flynn looked around the convoy with a thoughtful expression. "You can pick a lock, can't you?"

"I'm a bit offended that you just assume I can, but yeah." He'd had Karol teach him how a few months ago. "I would need a pin of some kind to do it, though."

"Ah. I don't have anything like that."

"It's alright. We'll figure something out."

"We have some time to think about it," Flynn said. "There's no point escaping now, since we still need to follow this road to Mantaic."

They hiked all day, stopping only for a quick lunch. Flynn and Yuri sat in the dirt in the shade provided by the cart, Yuri's right arm dangling in the air since it was attached to the top of the post at the corner of the vehicle. Yuri was given a couple stale biscuits, which he struggled to eat with Flynn's arm still attached to his left hand. He also refused to let Flynn share his delicious-looking turkey sandwich. He didn't want pity food from Flynn, and besides, the poor guy had been sick all day yesterday and he deserved to fill his stomach with something appetizing.

Two days after arriving in Desier, they reached Mantaic just as the sun slipped below the horizon. Yuri would ordinarily be happy about ending the long, hot walk, but he still didn't have a plan for how they were going to escape. At least with the sun going down he might be able to think straight without that damned heat. Some knights gave orders about setting up camp, while Yuri leaned back against the cart, trying to come up with a plan.

"Lieutenant," Flynn said. Yuri glanced over to see a lieutenant passing stop and salute.

"Yes, sir?"

"Make sure you arrange camp with your backs to the city. Monsters from the desert may approach during the night. Have you arranged the schedule for the night watch?"

"Not yet, Commandant," the lieutenant said. "We're so close to the city, we figured it wasn't a priority."

"Now that the barriers are gone, monsters come closer to the cities, especially a remote location like this. The city guards will be on patrol, but since we're on the outskirts of town we need to remain vigilant ourselves. Switch out the shifts every two or three hours to ensure those on watch are always fresh, just in case."

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes, sir! I shall convey your instructions to the captain."

He hurried away, while Yuri snorted. Flynn looked over at him. "What?"

"You sure give a lot of orders for a prisoner."

Flynn just gave him a happy smile. Flynn was always happiest commanding knights. Yuri thought he probably needed a hobby. He also thought that Flynn needed to stop being so buddy-buddy with the knights that were preparing to ship them back to Zaphias, just in time for Flynn's trial. They had no evidence that they really had met an assassin Dahngrest, and Estelle could discover as much as she wanted about Borden's schemes but it wouldn't prove Flynn didn't kill him. If they didn't get away from these knights, Flynn would certainly be found guilty and put to death for a crime he didn't commit. The alarmingly likely possibility of Flynn being executed curdled in his stomach. They _had_ to get out of here.

Once the camp was set up, four knights approached Flynn and Yuri. The knight in the lead saluted and said, "We are going to escort you to the Mantaic Knight Headquarters, sir. From there you will be transported to Zaphias to await your trial."

"Very well," Flynn said.

 _No, it isn't very well_ , Yuri thought. _Flynn, the damned knights are going to_ kill you _if you let them transport you to Zaphias._

One of the knights uncuffed Yuri's hand from the cart. "Come with us, please," another knight said.

Flynn gave Yuri a look, silently saying that there was no point resisting at this point. Yuri scowled and followed the knights. They walked toward the town, the four knights in a diamond configuration with Yuri and Flynn still handcuffed together between them. As they entered the small town and started walking down the main road, Yuri's eyes went to the knife hanging from the knight's belt to his right. The seeds of a plan sprouted in his brain. He didn't know where the knight headquarters were, so he had no idea how long they had to escape before reaching it. There wasn't time to risk thinking through every stage of his plan - he'd have to go for it and trust that things would work out once he got the ball rolling.

His hand shot out and grabbed the knife from the knight's belt. He didn't have a chance of fighting them all off with one knife, but he could do something. He jerked Flynn to the side, twisting his right arm around his back and pulling him against Yuri's chest. Yuri wrapped his right arm around Flynn, the blade of the knife at his throat.

"Nobody move!" Yuri shouted while the knights reached for their weapons, accompanied by wide eyes and surprised exclamations.

"Yuri!" Flynn said in shock. "What are you-"

"Drop your swords or I'll slit the commandant's throat!" He shoved past the knight he'd taken the knife from and backed away from the knights, who stood frozen with uncertainty.

In Flynn's ear, Yuri whispered, "Trust me on this." Loud enough for the knights to hear he said, "Sorry, Flynn, but I don't plan on going to prison for you."

"C-commandant!" the lead knight said.

"Didn't you hear me?!" Yuri shouted. "I said drop your swords!"

Four swords hit the dirt with a series of thuds.

"Good," Yuri said. "Now, give me our supplies."

The knight holding their confiscated packs looked to his companions nervously.

"Hurry up!" Yuri tightened his grip around Flynn, pressing the knife closer against Flynn's throat. Flynn hissed and a bead of blood trickled down his neck. Yuri quickly eased the pressure, guilt stabbing his chest.

The sight of blood pushed the knights into panic. "Do what he says," Flynn said calmly. He slowly reached out his free hand and said, "Hand the packs to me and don't make any sudden movements."

"Yeah, that's right!" Yuri said. "And make it quick if you want your commandant to keep his pretty head."

The knight stepped forward and cautiously held out the bags. Once they were in Flynn's hand, Yuri started backing toward the road behind them, the knife never leaving Flynn's neck.

"Good," Yuri said. "Don't try to follow me. I'll let the commandant go when I'm satisfied you're far enough away from me, got? If I see you following me, I'll slit his throat right then!"

"Do just as he says!" Flynn said. "This man has a violent record and I have no doubt he'll carry through on his threat."

"Y-yes, sir!" the terrified lead knight said.

Yuri walked backward down the road, carefully pulling Flynn along with him and making extra sure he didn't accidentally cut him again. At the end of the street, he backed around a corner until they were finally out of view of the knights. He dropped his arms and stuck the knife into his belt. "Sorry about that," he said.

Flynn ran his sleeve across his neck to wipe up the drops of blood. "It's fine. You barely nicked the surface. We should get moving before they come after us."

"Yeah." They took off down the street. Running was awkward, because their hands were still cuffed together. It took a few stumbling steps to get into a rhythm without tripping over each other. Yuri wasn't sure if those knights really would hold off on coming after them, but he wouldn't bet Flynn's life on it.

"What's the plan now?" Flynn asked as they ran. "How do we find Emmery?"

"Uh…" They dashed around a corner and Yuri spotted a young man walking down the street. "Hey!" Yuri said, skidding to a halt. Flynn didn't realize he was stopping and kept going a few steps more, yanking Yuri off his feet. Yuri fell to his knees, dragging Flynn down with him.

The man stopped and stared at them. "Um… are you guys ok?"

Yuri looked up from his knees and asked, "Do you know if a noble lady moved into town recently?"

The man frowned. "Uh, yeah, actually. Some noble arrived the other day and started throwing a fuss about the house she was renting being too small."

"Excellent!" Flynn's head popped up behind Yuri. "Could you give us directions to that house, perhaps?"

"It's at the end of Saguaro Avenue. The one right at the end of the street."

"Thanks a lot," Yuri said, getting back to his feet and pulling Flynn up with him. They started running again. There weren't many streets in Mantaic, and Yuri remembered the approximate location of Saguaro Avenue from the last time he was here. He led the way, helpfully saying, "It's this turn up ahead," when they neared it to save Flynn the trouble of overshooting and making them crash again.

The street was lined with a few modestly sized houses, but at the and was a large sandstone bungalow. It had a garden of cacti and an arched doorway, with the sweeping expanses of sand stretching out behind it. They came to a stop outside the house.

"This is it," Yuri said. "It's got to be."

"I suppose we should knock."

"Are you kidding? She ran away from Zaphias to avoid us. I doubt she'll answer the door."

Flynn frowned. "What do you suggest?"

"Let's break in."

Flynn sighed. "Why did I even ask?"

"Have any better ideas, Commandant?"

"No. Let's go in."

They crept across the cactus garden. Falling over would be a bit more painful now, so they tread carefully and worked together to avoid toppling over onto a spiky nest of cacti. Yuri led them to a window peered through, one hand cupped around his eyes. It looked like a sitting room of some sort. "This'll do," he whispered. He dug his fingers into the base of the window and pushed up, with Flynn working in tandem. Dry paint chipped off on their fingers and the window stuck a few times on the way up, but they managed to get it open.

Yuri climbed through the window, and then turned to give Flynn a hand crawling in next to him. Once they were both in the sitting room, Flynn looked around nervously and Yuri asked in a low voice, "This your first time breaking and entering?"

Flynn frowned and slumped his shoulders. "Yes."

Yuri patted him on the back. "Don't worry, you're doing fine so far." He pulled the knife out of his belt just in case. He'd rather use it in his left hand, but his right was better than Flynn's left. Actually, he'd prefer a sword, but his and Flynn's swords had unfortunately been left with the knights. Damn, he'd liked that sword, too. "Come on, the master bedroom is probably the one at the end of the hall."

"Yeah."

They walked as quietly as they could, ears alert for any sign that they'd been detected. As far as they knew, Emmery had left her staff behind in Zaphias, but there was still the chance she had someone else here with her. This was it, though. Once they caught her, they'd force her to admit that she hired an assassin to kill Borden and frame Flynn, and then they could turn her over to the knights. Yuri was perfectly ok with getting shipped back to Zaphias if they took Emmery with them.

Flynn rested his hand on the doorknob for a second. As soon as they burst in, they'd have to be ready for her to try to flee. Yuri tightened his grip on the knife, looked to Flynn, and gave a small nod.

Flynn threw the door open and they burst into the room. The person standing in the middle exclaimed and twisted around to see who it was. Confusingly, the person was not Emmery, but a middle-aged man. The man happened to have a knife in his hand, a very dead Emmery at his feet.

They froze, staring at each other in shock for about three seconds. The man came to his senses first, and ran for the window. Yuri and Flynn wasted no time in chasing after him. Yuri had no idea what was going on, who the man was, or what this was about, but Emmery was dead and this seemed to be the culprit, so they needed to catch him.

"Stop!" Flynn shouted as the man vaulted through the open bedroom window.

When he didn't stop, Yuri yelled, "Did you really expect that to work!?" He leapt through the window right after the man, but had to stop and wait for Flynn to climb out after him.

"Habit!" Flynn replied, and then they took off running again.

The man was already rounding the house, but they weren't going to give up. Sand kicked up behind them as they tore around the corner. They ran perfectly in sync now, arms pumping in unison to keep from tripping the other up. They were gaining on him, buildings flying by in their hot pursuit. Everything was going well, right up until the man took a shortcut past a scrubby bush and they had differing opinions on how to get around it. Yuri attempted to leap right over the plant, while Flynn tried to go around it. Yuri's arm jerked sideways mid-leap, sending him crashing into the fronds with a shout of frustration. His fall made Flynn fall as well, and then he struggled to free himself from both the plant and Flynn's tangle of limbs and get back to his feet. The man was getting away, so in a last-ditch effort Yuri threw the knife at him. He had never been an expert knife thrower, so he wasn't surprised when the knife barely nicked the man's leg before dropping uselessly to the ground. Then the man disappeared around a corner.

"Come on, we can still catch him," Flynn said, giving Yuri a hand and helping him dislodge himself from the fronds.

Yuri nodded and picked up the pace. He grabbed the knife from the ground and then ran to the end of the street and turned the corner, only to find a four-way intersection a block ahead. They stopped in the centre, turning in circles in hope of catching a glimpse of him. The killer was nowhere to be seen. Yuri kicked the ground. "Dammit. What now?"

Flynn was silent for a while, staring at the wall in deep concentration. At long last, he said, "There's nothing else we can do here. Emmery is dead. Chances are she fled Zaphias because she feared for her life from the real culprit… which turned out to be a valid fear. This trip was a waste of time. Going back to her house now would be too risky, because I'm sure the knights are already looking for us. We should head for the coast and attempt to stowaway again."

"Because that worked out so well for us last time," Yuri said.

Flynn looked to him. "Do you have any better options? We're unarmed, so a trip through the Weasand of Cados would be a death sentence, in addition to taking far too long."

"Where to from there?" Yuri asked. "We don't really have any more clues to go on."

"I know," Flynn said with a frown. "I'm betting whoever killed Emmery is the third person in line for the land in Hypionia. With Borden and Emmery dead, this person is the sole heir. The key to solving this case is in Zaphias, and figuring out who this third party is."

"Zaphias, huh? Sounds dangerous."

"What does it matter?" Flynn said. "We don't have time to go anywhere else. Either we catch this person in Zaphias or I'm a dead man."

Yuri's chest clenched again. "Don't remind me. You're right, though. We should avoid the road."

Flynn nodded. "Yeah. We'll keep just out of sight of the road and head north to the coast."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

"I think we should take a break," Yuri said as the sun rose behind them. "We've walked all night."

"Yeah," Flynn said. "I'm exhausted."

"Man, now the sun's going to make everything hot again," Yuri said, kicking the sand. His long shadow stretched out in front of him, the only shade as far as the eye could see. "There's not even any shade." All they saw in every direction were sand dunes. Occasionally they came across a more solid patch of ground, and the odd cactus.

"We'll sleep now," Flynn said. "Better to sleep during the day and walk at night when it's cool…" He trailed off and stopped walking.

"What's up?" Yuri asked.

"The sun is at our backs," Flynn said, staring at his shadow.

Yuri looked over his shoulder. "Yeah."

"But if we're walking north… why is it at our backs?"

Realization stabbed through Yuri's mind. "Shit."

"I thought the road was just over that dune," Flynn said, pointing.

"Me too," Yuri said. "Come on, let's check it out." They walked faster than they had in hours, fear filling them with renewed energy. Sand rained down behind them as they scaled the dune. Yuri's heart pounded as he reached the top, terrified of what he was going to see - or not see.

"It's not there," Flynn said when they kneeled in the sand at the peak of the dune. "The road… we were keeping it on our right, weren't we?"

"Yeah," Yuri said, staring at the empty desert where the road should be. "Weren't we walking straight?"

"Damn…" Flynn breathed. "Look at the sunrise! We've been walking _west_ , possibly for hours!"

"Shit," Yuri said again. There were several other words that crossed his mind to explain his feelings on this turn of events, but Flynn tended to disapprove of what he called 'excessive profanity'.

"We're going the wrong way… we've probably walked miles and miles into the heart of the desert."

" _Shit_."

"Stop saying that."

"Crap."

"That doesn't help either."

Yuri sighed. "Let's put the sun on our right and keep walking for now to set us in the right direction."

"That's really all we can do. "How much water do we have left?"

Yuri pulled his canteen out of his bag and shook it. There was a lot of room for sloshing. "Not much."

"Perfect," Flynn said tiredly. He got back to his feet again, pulling Yuri up since their wrists were still connected. "Come on. With the sun to show us east, we can't get it wrong this time."

And so they walked. And walked. They walked through the hot, sandy desert until they collapsed from exhaustion and got a few hours of sleep, and when they woke up in mid-afternoon, they walked some more. It didn't take long to deplete their minimal water supply, as they were both going through buckets of water in sweat. Yuri untied the sash around his waist and used it to make a messy hat to keep his hair off the back of his neck and the sun off his head. They talked for a while at first, before conversation gradually fizzled out. Talking took too much energy.

The sun started to get low in the sky again when Yuri grabbed Flynn's arm. "Flynn! A cactus!"

"Yes, I see it," Flynn said. "We've seen lots of cacti."

"No, this is a special one," Yuri said, dragging him off to the side to head for the cactus.

"Dare I ask why?"

"Just wait. You're going to love this." He stopped in front of the short, squat cactus and crouched. With the knife in one hand and the canteen in the other, he jammed a hole in its side and held out the canteen to catch the water that spilled out.

"Water!" Flynn said.

"Yeah, these cactuses are full of water."

"The plural of cactus is-"

"Shut up and drink." He shoved it in Flynn's face.

Flynn chose drinking over further complaining about Yuri's vocabulary. He took a sip, and then swallowed with a grimace. "Ugh! That's the most foul water I have ever tasted!"

Yuri laughed a bit. "Yeah, it's not the best tasting, but it is water. Drink up, who knows when we'll find another cactus."

Flynn braced himself and drank again. "Here," he said when he was done, passing it over. "You have some too."

"Thanks." Yuri finished the water off, wrinkling his nose at the foul taste. It was warm and bitter, just like he remembered from the last time he crossed Kogorh. He got up and nudged the deflated cactus with his foot. "That's all we're going to get out of this one, I'm afraid."

"If there was one cactus, there will be more. Let's keep moving and keep our eyes peeled for more."

They picked up the pace again, using the setting sun as a compass. They didn't have any supplies to make camp, so there was no point stopping to rest until they had no energy to keep moving anymore. It was past midnight by the time they dropped to their knees in the sand.

"I propose… we rest for now…" Flynn said.

"Yeah," Yuri panted. He fell forward, resting the side of his face in the warm sand. After trudging through the desert all day, lying still was like heaven. He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back, and then Flynn lay down next to him. With the sand as a pillow, he stared up at the stars and said, "How much longer do you think it will take to reach the coast?"

"I have no idea," Flynn said. "Hiking through sand is slow."

"Are we at least going the right way now?"

"I'm not sure," Flynn said. "When we last saw the sun we seemed to be heading north, but the ship isn't due north from Mantaic. The road curves around to the north east."

"I'm disappointed in you, Flynn," Yuri said "Aren't you supposed to know everything, oh perfect commandant?"

Flynn scowled. "How am I supposed to know? You're the one who's been through the desert before."

"Last time we ran into more cacti." He hadn't had a drop to drink since the first cactus they'd found this afternoon, and he felt like he could volunteer his tongue to the carpenter's guild as substitute sandpaper. "At least we haven't seen any monsters. I don't know how well we could fight them with a single knife and neither of our hands tied."

"Are you sure you can't do anything about this blasted handcuff?" Flynn asked, shaking his wrist a bit.

"What, is it so terrible being stuck to me?"

"When it's a hundred degrees and I've got metal against my bare wrist, yes."

"Heh." He was too tired to come up with any more sarcastic replies, and besides, he agreed with Flynn. The skin around the cuff was red and irritated, which was almost as annoying as the sunburns on his face. "I'm gonna get some shut-eye. If you roll around and tug my arm and wake me up, I'll kick you."

"You always kick me when we sleep next to each other."

"Then I'll kick you harder than usual."

"Thanks a lot."


	11. Breakthrough

"Why do you have to leave?" Estelle asked, resting her head in the crook of Rita's neck.

"I've already been here for over a week, Estelle," Rita said. "I have work to get back to."

Estelle pouted. "But I like it when you're here. Can't you move here? I could find a room for you in the castle."

Rita, with her arm wrapped around Estelle's shoulders idly played with her hair. "You know I couldn't tolerate living around all these stuffy nobles. Move to Halure like you said you would."

Estelle sighed heavily. "I will, but not just yet. There's still so much to do here. Let's just spend the whole day together until you leave."

"You're not going to bring Ted over, are you?"

"No," Estelle said, "I told him I was busy today so I could spend the day with you."

"Good," Rita said, tightening her grip around Estelle's shoulders.

Estelle smiled a bit. "I told you, Rita, you don't have to be jealous of Ted."

"I'm not jealous! That's really dumb. Why would I be jealous of some stupid brat?"

Estelle's smiled grew wider.

"Besides, the only reason I'm still upset with him is because you still haven't talked to him about his feelings."

Estelle's smile dropped. "Oh. Right. Um, I'll do that soon."

"The longer you drag it out, the harder it will be."

Estelle sighed. "Yes, I know." A knock came to the door, and she popped up, eager for a distraction from thinking about Ted. She hurried to the door, and opened it with a smile. "Oh, hello, Sodia."

Sodia stood up a little straighter and said, "Princess Estellise, I have a favour to request of you."

Estelle tilted her head to the side. "A favour? What kind?"

"As you know, I've been handling the commandant's affairs in his absence."

Estelle nodded. "Yes, and you've done a very good job."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Sodia said. "However, we're nearing the end of the month and I need to fill out the monthly report for him. I need a copy of last month's report to do it properly, however."

Estelle frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't have a copy of that report."

Sodia shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. The commandant keeps the old reports himself, but I'm not sure if he keeps them in a drawer in his main desk or in the desk in his bedroom. I'm afraid I… I don't feel comfortable searching through the commandant's personal things. I feel that it isn't my place. I just thought… the two of you are such close friends, he wouldn't mind if you looked through his things."

"Oh, yes, I can do that," she said with a smile. "I'm sure Flynn wouldn't mind if you did, either, but if you don't feel comfortable doing it, I'd be happy to help."

"Thank you for your assistance, Your Highness," Sodia said. "You can have the reports sent to my office at your leisure."

"I'll get right on it!"

Sodia nodded, and walked away. Estelle turned to face Rita sitting on the couch. "Come on, Rita, we have a project to take care of!"

"Better than nothing, I guess."

Estelle grabbed Rita's hand as they walked down the hallways to Flynn's office. Rita glanced down, her cheeks a bit pink. "What's this for?"

Estelle gave her a blissful smile. "Nothing. I just want to hold on to you until you leave tonight."

Rita sulked, but didn't try to pull her hand away. "You're such a dork, Estelle."

When they reached Flynn's office, Estelle said, _"_ You look through his desk and I'll check his room, alright?" Sodia did have a point that searching through Flynn's private belongings was a bit rude, so she figured it would be better if Rita took care of the professional work and Estelle looked through his personal space herself.

"Yeah, ok," Rita said. She pulled away from Estelle's hand and threw herself into the chair behind his desk.

Estelle walked through the door to Flynn's room. She paused, looking around with a sad smile. No one had been in here since Flynn left the morning he was arrested. Her heart ached with worry for both him and Yuri. Now that they were out of range, she had no idea what was going on with them or if they'd caught up to Emmery yet. She felt like she'd been constantly worrying every day since his arrest. Just the thought that he might be executed made her want to curl into a ball and cry. Ioder said he would do everything he could, but if the court found him guilty there was nothing he could do.

She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. Worrying about Flynn wouldn't help anyone. The best she could do was find that report for Sodia so that when Flynn got his job back - and he _would_ get his job back - he wouldn't have a mountain of work to catch up on. She went to the desk against the wall. It was smaller and simpler than the one in his office, and Flynn rarely used it except when he had something quick to take care of in the evening, but it was possible he might store the reports here. There was a folded piece of paper on the desk, to which Estelle didn't pay any attention until she noticed the name written across it: _Estelle_.

She paused with a frown. That was clearly Flynn's handwriting, but why in the world had he not written 'Estellise'? She grabbed the paper and sat down on the edge of the bed. There were only a few occasions when Flynn ever called her 'Estelle'. The first was when he was engrossed with work and only half-paying attention to what he was saying, the second was when she caught him very early in the morning or very late at night and he was half-asleep, and the third was when he had just a tad too much wine with dinner. He had never written her a letter during any of those times before, so it was with great curiosity that she began to read.

_Dear Estelle,_

_I'm sorry. This is goodbye._

Her heart throbbed and she re-read the first two lines, certain she'd misread. His handwriting was messier than normal, so it was difficult to make everything out. After verifying that she had actually read it right, she kept going.

_You deserve to be told this in person, but I'm afraid if I see to you, you'll talk me out of it. I can't do this anymore, so I'm leaving this life. Please don't cry, I'm sure I'll be happier where I'm going. I'm sorry it had to end this way. I never regretted a minute of the times we shared together. Thank you for being my friend, Estelle. Goodbye._

_With love,_

_Flynn._

By the time she finished the letter, her hands shook so badly it was hard to make out the last few words. No, it wasn't even a letter - it was a note. A goodbye note. That's what people did, wasn't it? Leave a note. She couldn't read it again because tears blurred her eyes. She wanted to crumple the paper up and throw it against the wall, but she also didn't want to lose this, because it was the only evidence she had that Flynn felt this way.

Oh heavens, Flynn felt this way… she'd never suspected he was unhappy. She'd never seen any signs that he was miserable. If he was this serious, why hadn't he at least _talked_ to her? Her whole body shook, and all she wanted was for Flynn to be here, beside her, so she could hug him and tell him it would be ok and just _do_ something. Now he was halfway around the world, completely out of reach and who knew if he still felt like this.

"Hey, Estelle, I think I found - Estelle?"

Estelle glanced up at Rita, who dropped the paper in her hand on the desk and rushed to her side.

"Estelle, what's wrong?" Rita sat next to her and pulled Estelle against her chest. "What happened?"

"I-it's… Flynn." She buried her face in Rita's neck, letter the sobs come now that there was someone here to comfort her.

"What? Flynn is fine. He's in Mantaic with Yuri." Rita worriedly rubbed Estelle's back.

"No, look," she shoved the note in Rita's face. Rita read it in a few seconds, and then her grip around Estelle tightened.

"Oh…"

Estelle clung to Rita, never wanting to let her go. If she lost Flynn… if Yuri moved back to Dahngrest… if Rita was so far away in Halure… she'd be all alone again and she didn't think she could handle that.

"Estelle," Rita said, "do you know what's in that suitcase?"

Estelle pulled herself up and wiped her eyes. "W-what suitcase?"

"That one," Rita said, pointing to the suitcase sitting by the desk.

Estelle wrinkled her brow. "Um… no."

"Give me a second." Rita pried herself from Estelle's grip and crossed the room. She pulled open the suitcase and revealed messily packed clothes crammed into every nook and cranny. None of them were folded, so after sitting in there for so long they were a wrinkled mess.

"A-ha," Rita said. "Look, Estelle." Rita turned to her with an encouraging smile. "Flynn packed a suitcase. He was planning on _literally_ leaving. He was just going on vacation or something. Although… from the sound of the letter, he wasn't planning on coming back."

Relief washed over Estelle like a tsunami. She fell back on the bed and took a long, deep breath, letting the quiet of the room relax her. The only sound was a vague _tick…tick…tick…_ from a clock. "Thank goodness."

Rita returned and sat sideways on the edge of the bed. "I don't get why he'd want to leave, though. Isn't this his dream job?"

"Yes," Estelle said, looking up at the ceiling. "Being the commandant is all he ever talked about. And he called me 'Estelle' in the letter, too, which is odd."

"That right," Rita said. "He always calls you 'Estellise'."

Estelle frowned. "That makes me think… he wasn't entirely himself when he wrote that. The only times he calls me 'Estelle' are when he's distracted, tired, or tipsy. Never in his right mind. His handwriting in that note was atrocious, too. He always puts such great care into making his handwriting as neat as possible. It's almost like he wrote this while drunk, but Flynn doesn't drink that much."

"Hm…" Rita tapped her hand on the comforter. "Didn't Flynn say he thought he was drugged the night of the murder?"

Estelle's eyes widened. "That's right. He thinks someone drugged him and that's why he doesn't remember the entire evening."

"If he was drugged, that would explain the not-in-his-right-mind quality of the letter."

Estelle nodded. "But… even if he wrote it while under the influence of a drug, he was still feeling that way, right? Maybe he lost his inhibitions, but the drug couldn't have created those feelings in him."

"That's true…" Rita said. "But, they were probably buried pretty deep. When I saw Flynn last, he seemed happy. Other than the whole murder charge, I mean."

"I guess so," Estelle said, staring at the ceiling. Rita was silent. She'd never been very good at comforting people when they were upset. Estelle didn't mind; she found her presence comforting enough. She lay on the bed, listening to the tick of a clock and wishing Flynn and Yuri were home safe again.

"What's ticking, anyway?" Rita asked, looking around.

"A clock, I would guess," Estelle said, not looking up.

"Yeah, but I don't see any clocks, so what is it? Now it's bugging me."

"I don't know," Estelle said. "Check under the bed."

"Why would I check there?"

Estelle shrugged. "Nothing. I was just thinking of a book I read once about this doctor." She sat up and looked around. "Hm… it seems to be coming from his nightstand."

"Yeah." Rita grabbed the drawer and pulled it open.

"Rita! You can't just go into Flynn's-"

"A-ha! I found it," Rita said, turning around triumphantly with a pocket watch in hand.

"Oh, where did you find that?" Estelle said, reaching for it. "Flynn was looking for this."

"It was just in his drawer," Rita said, handing it over.

"But…" Estelle frowned. "Flynn told me he'd lent his watch to Yuri a few weeks ago and hadn't gotten it back yet."

Rita shrugged. "He must have gotten it back after telling you that."

"But he was complaining about Yuri still having it the morning before Borden was killed, and he didn't see Yuri again until Yuri visited him in jail. So, when would he have gotten it?"

"He must have gotten it sometime that day," Rita said.

"But he couldn't have," Estelle said. "He didn't leave the castle that day, and Yuri didn't come here, so…" she gasped. "Wait, he _did_ leave the castle. He left at night, after he was drugged, but he doesn't remember where he went."

"Oh, I get it," Rita said. "If he's got this watch, he must have gone to Yuri's place."

"Yuri didn't see him, so I guess Yuri was out that night."

"He went all the way to Yuri's to get his watch back?"

"Actually…" Estelle looked down at the note sitting on the bed. "I think, maybe, he went to say goodbye. He went to the lower quarter to say goodbye to Yuri in person before he ran away, but Yuri wasn't there. Flynn didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Yuri, so he grabbed his pocket watch and returned to the castle."

"Good thing he did," Rita said. "Who knows what kind of trouble he'd have gotten into if he went wandering outside the city at night, all alone. He'd probably get eaten by monsters."

"Don't say that." Estelle was a bit hurt that Flynn had apparently gone to say goodbye to Yuri in person but only left a letter for Estelle. She understood, though. Flynn was right - Estelle would have tried to stop him. She sighed. "I thought all of our problems were supposed to be over once we took care of the Adephagos."

Rita scooted over on the bed and wrapped her arm around Estelle's shoulders. "Hey, don't get all upset. Flynn and Yuri will be back before you know it."

Estelle leaned against Rita, wishing she didn't have to go home tonight. "I sure hope so."

* * *

There was sand in his boots. It seemed silly to worry about that when Yuri was also starving, thirsty, sunburned, and exhausted, but dammit the sand was annoying. Yuri had no idea how long they'd been walking, only that the coast had to be just over the next sand dune. He'd also believed it would be just over the previous sand dune, and the one before that. He had to keep believing that, because it was the only thing keeping him going. When the sun came up this morning to show them where east was, they'd realized they had once again veered off course and walked further into the desert last night.

"I can't believe it," Flynn panted. "After everything we've been through… all the monsters we've fought, the villains we've faced, the trials we've overcome… we're going to die in a stupid desert."

"Hey… who said anything about dying?" Yuri croaked. "We'll hit the coast right over the next dune. You'll see."

Flynn groaned. "Yuri, be realistic. We're exhausted. We have no food, no water, and we haven't seen a cactus since yesterday."

"What's with that attitude?" Yuri said. "You're not giving up, are you?"

"I'm not!" Flynn said. "I'm trying to be realistic. We face a very real possibility of dying before we reach the coast, and blind optimism isn't helping."

"Pessimism isn't going to get us over the next dune, so chin up and put a smile on that face."

"I don't want to smile," Flynn grumbled. "My cheeks are so sunburned, smiling hurts."

Yuri glanced over at Flynn, who walked with his shoulders slumped and his eyes half-closed. "Hey… I'm serious, don't give up yet. I mean, what will Estelle say if her dear ex-boyfriend dropped dead in the desert?"

"Stop that," Flynn said without much enthusiasm.

This worried Yuri more than anything else, because if Flynn wasn't even getting upset with him for the teasing, he must be incredibly tired. "I still can't believe she dumped you," Yuri said, trying to egg him on. "How can she ever improve after dating the empire's golden boy?"

"Shut up, Yuri," Flynn said, with a promising edge to his voice.

"See, this is why we can't die out here," Yuri said. "Just think of the embarrassment if the world's most perfect commandant doesn't have a suitably heroic death."

"Yuri, please stop; I'm too hot to get irritated with you right now."

"And just think of all the poor women who write you love letters. Oh, how heart-broken they would be!"

"There are plenty of people who would be heartbroken if you died too, you know. Your friends, for one."

Yuri frowned and shrugged a bit. A brief montage of his friends faces after he returned from Zaude raced through his mind. He didn't usually think of himself as a person who would be missed, a feeling that actually helped him sometimes. If nobody would miss him, he didn't have to worry about taking care of himself to do the right thing. Also, if there were people who counted on him, then he had people to let down. Remembering how devastated his friends had been when they thought he had died made him feel rotten, so he brushed it aside. "Yeah, well… not as many." It was true - a small handful of his close friends would mourn him, but that was nothing compared to the thousands of people across the empire who would grieve Flynn's passing. Flynn was a real player in the world - that his death would be felt more keenly was just fact.

"Dammit, Yuri, would you just accept that you matter to people for once?"

The last thing Yuri wanted to do was talk about his feelings. He was trying to annoy Flynn out of his pessimism, not open the floor for a touchy-feely discussion on his self-esteem. He tried to shift the subject back to Flynn. "Yeah, sure, but it's more important to the fate of the world that we get you out of here. Nobody else in the empire seems capable of getting anything accomplished."

Flynn didn't respond, but Yuri could feel Flynn's hand right next to his clench into a fist.

"I mean, how could they ever replace you? Where are they going to find another knight without any flaws?"

"Shut up, Yuri."

"Why are you so grumpy all the time? I'm just repeating what everyone throughout the empire is saying."

"I am aware of that, and I'd like you to stop." His voice took on a serious edge that Yuri wasn't sure how to deal with.

Yuri had just been poking fun at Flynn like he always did, but he seemed to have hit a nerve. Yuri tried to laugh it off. With a laugh that was more like a cackle in his parched throat, he said, "You're lucky I like you, or else I'd be pretty annoyed with how often I have to sit through talk of how great and wonderful and perfect you are."

Flynn stopped walking, turned, and grabbed the front of Yuri's shirt in one white-knuckled hand. With fire in his eyes, he snapped, "Would you _stop saying that_!?"

Yuri stared at him, his mouth open but no words coming out. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Flynn this furious, and it certainly hadn't been over some simple teasing. He found his voice and said, "H-hey, calm down. I was joking. Everyone else thinks you're so perfect, and I find that kind of funny."

"I know!" Flynn released his hold on Yuri's shirt. "I _know_ everyone thinks I'm perfect. 'Flynn is great, Flynn is perfect, Flynn is the ideal knight to which everyone should aspire'. I'm getting sick and tired of this, because I am _not_ fucking perfect!"

Yuri gaped at him, uncertain if he had actually heard Flynn use the word 'fucking'. He didn't think he had ever heard Flynn swear like that before. Sure, Flynn tended to be more cavalier with his language when it was just him and Yuri, but even then he usually didn't go beyond a few damns or hells. "Are you ok?"

"No, I am not ok!" Flynn flung his arm out in frustration. "My _whole life_ people have told me I'm perfect. I was always the perfect child, the perfect student, the perfect soldier. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be perfect? I can't make any mistakes. I can't doubt myself or show hesitation. If I do, everyone will think I've let them down. No man is perfect, but everyone seems to expect me to be. It's impossible to live up to the empire's expectations of being a flawless white knight all the time, and I think the pressure to be perfect is killing me."

He brought his fist up and rested his forehead on it. "My major victories, my great accomplishments that got me promoted… _you_ did those things. The truth will get out eventually, and when it does, I'll be ruined. I'm trying to do my best, but everyone makes mistakes. Normally people get some slack, because to err is human, but not me. I have to be perfect, and when that illusion of perfection inevitably shatters, everything I've worked to become will come crashing down. All I ever wanted to do was change the empire and make it a better place for people to live, but now the constant pressure to be the empire's shining paragon of justice and virtue is slowly killing me."

Yuri just stared at him. He didn't know what to say. A flurry of memories rushed through his head of all the times he'd jokingly told Flynn he was perfect. Flynn knew he didn't _really_ think that, right? Although… it was true that he put a lot of faith in Flynn. He relied on Flynn to carry the weight of changing the world, and counted on him to steer the empire in the right direction. Flynn was better than him, Flynn was more capable of making a real difference, Flynn was the pillar of justice and order throughout the empire. He didn't think Flynn was _perfect_ , but he did think that Flynn was incredible and he had never even thought that putting all his faith in Flynn to change the system could hurt him. _Some friend you are._

Flynn had spent his anger, and all that was left was despair as he hung his head. He'd clearly been grappling with these thoughts for a long while, and all Yuri could do was stand back and let him get it all out.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this, Yuri. Being the commandant is all I've ever wanted, and I love my job - I really do. I just wish I could do this job as _me_ , without dealing with the starry-eyed hero-worship from the rest of the knighthood and the populace. It terrifies me to think that I can't possibly live up to everyone's expectations. Sometimes… I even think about running away. In the dead of night when I'm all alone and all the stress hangs over me, I think about running away to the other side of the world and becoming a farmer. I always brush it aside, but as time goes on, the idea gets more and more appealing. I don't want to abandon everything I've worked so hard for, but I don't know how much longer I can live like this. I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore. I think the only reason I'm even telling you this is that we're probably going to die soon."

Yuri had no idea what to say, but he felt like he should try something. "Hey. Get a hold of yourself, would you?"

"I'm-"

Yuri grabbed the shoulder of Flynn's shirt. "You listen to me. You're not perfect. I think you're kind of an idiot sometimes, really. You've screwed up loads of times before. Remember what happened with Alexei?"

Flynn gaped at him, his brows knit in confusion. "What do you-"

" _But_ , you've also helped a lot of people. You're the one who kept the Heracles from blowing up Zaphias, you liberated Mantaic from Cumore, and you single-handedly stopped a war between the empire and the Union by bringing that letter. What I mean is, you've done a lot of good totally on your own, not just stuff I've helped with. Plus, you've already messed up a lot, so why worry about doing it again?"

"I… suppose so."

"If I were you, I'd treasure this period when everyone still thinks the sun shines out your ass. One of these days, they're gradually going to lose that infatuation and see the uptight, annoying idiot I know."

"But that's what I'm afraid of!" Flynn protested. "Eventually, everyone will see through the façade of the perfect me and realize I really am just a kid from the lower quarter who doesn't know what he's doing."

"No, they'll see through the façade and see a hard-working, fallible human who pulled himself out of the gutter through sheer will power. A guy who tries his best every single day to make the world a better place for everyone. Now shut up and stop feeling sorry for yourself, because you're forcing me to compliment you and it feels weird."

Flynn's face softened, and a smile tugged at his lips. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, stupid, I'm mad at all the assholes who expect too much of you and are screwing up your head. Look, just… just do your thing, alright? You're not perfect, and yeah, you're going to disappoint people sometimes, but that's life. I really believe that when people see past the shiny white knight persona, they're going to like the real you even more. But, they're not ever going to see that if we die in this damn desert, so let's keep moving to the coast. When we get back to Zaphias, I'll kick anyone's ass who gives you any grief, alright?"

Flynn smiled a bit. "Alright."

He clearly wasn't totally pacified, but Yuri hoped his words were at least enough to hold him together until they got out of this desert and people who were better at this kind of thing could talk to him, like Estelle. For now, though, he was going to have to watch his tongue. He teased Flynn about his reputation all the time, but he needed to keep a lid on it for now. He already felt shitty enough for inadvertently contributing to Flynn's stress with every joking word.

"Hey…" Yuri said, trying to cheer Flynn up, "did I ever tell you about the time I cooked pan-fried noodles in the desert?"

"What? But… why?" Flynn asked, looking to him in utter confusion.

"Because I had a craving for spicy noodles, that's why," Yuri said.

"So… how did that turn out?"

Yuri grimaced at the memory. "That was one of the worst decisions of my life."

* * *

Estelle felt lonely after Rita left, but her spirits rose when, a couple of days later, a servant delivered a message that Lord Zadel had found some information on Baction he wanted to share with her. She had no idea what is was about, but excitedly went to his house that afternoon to meet with him. She knocked on the door and waited on the front step, wishing Rita or at least Ted could be here with her. Well, maybe not Ted. She'd been avoiding him lately, because she _knew_ she needed to have that talk with him, but she'd rather put that off for now. She justified it as being too worried about Flynn and Yuri to deal with anything else.

Zadel's butler opened the door. He bowed when he saw her. "Good day, Your Highness. I was told you would be coming. Please, come in." Estelle followed him into the mansion, and he said, "Lord Zadel is not in right now. A Council meeting is holding him up, but he will be with us shortly. Please wait here."

She sat down on a stiff red sofa in a sitting room and waited patiently. "Thank you very much, sir."

The butler walked away, his cane clicking on the marble floors. Estelle sat back and waited, twiddling her thumbs while she wondered what information Zadel had found. She hoped it had to do with the third family, but she didn't want to get her hopes too high.

After about five minutes of waiting, an elderly woman walked by the doorway to the sitting room, lugging a heavy sack. Estelle immediately jumped to her feet. "Oh, excuse me, ma'am! Do you need help with that?"

The woman paused and set the bag down on the floor. "I would appreciate it greatly, my dear!"

Estelle smiled and picked up the sack. "Oh, it's very heavy. What's in here?"

"Dirt!" the woman said with a grin. When she saw Estelle's confused face, she said, "It's for my garden. Come along, dear, you can help me until my son gets home."

"Oh, are you Zadel's mother?"

"That's right, dear. And you, of course, are Princess Estellise."

Estelle smiled. "That's right." Mrs. Zadel opened a door and led Estelle out into a courtyard garden filled with flowers. Estelle's eyes lit up as she took in a rainbow of orchids, sunflowers, roses, and violets. "Wow, did you grow these all yourself?"

Mrs. Zadel smiled proudly. "I did indeed! My son helped sometimes, but he's terribly unreliable."

"Oh, um, I'm sure he was just very busy with work for the Council."

"So he tells me. Set the bag down over here, please, dear." Mrs. Zadel gestured to the edge of a flower bed where several potted plants sat, waiting to be put into the earth. After Estelle did as she was told, Mrs. Zadel got down on her knees and began to dig with a trowel. "So, how have you been?"

"I've been… alright," Estelle said, kneeling next to the woman and picking up a spare trowel she found in the dirt. She dug where the earth had already been indented and said, "I've been very worried about Flynn, of course."

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Zadel said with disdain. "The commandant's little jailbreak."

Estelle glanced over at her with surprise. Zadel had always been so sympathetic to Flynn, so she'd assumed his mother shared his feelings. She hadn't expected the dismissive tone of voice.

"I'm sure the knights will catch up to him soon," Mrs. Zadel said. "Once he's gone, I hope we can get a _real_ commandant again, someone with respect and a good family."

"Oh… um… I always thought Flynn was doing a good job," Estelle said. "Your son seems to think so, too."

"I always did tell my boy to tread carefully around the commandant. Just like I said to him with Alexei - you watch yourself, Ronald, like him or not, that man outranks you. You'd better brown that nose and stay in his good books! And then during Alexei's coup, we got out of the city with no problems, just like that!"

"Ah…" Estelle said, not sure what to make of this. Zadel was always so friendly, but she hadn't known him a couple of years ago to see if he'd been equally friendly to Alexei. Just because his mother was a bigot and told him to fake being friends with Flynn, that didn't mean he couldn't _really_ be friends with Flynn… right?

A door opened, and Estelle looked up to see Zadel himself step out into the garden. "Hello, Your Highness," he said. With a friendly smile he added, "Mother, have you wrangled the princess into working in your garden, too?"

"She's more help than you are, Ronald," Mrs. Zadel snapped. She raised her head and glared at him. "And now you're late and kept the pretty lady waiting! What have I told you about being punctual?"

Zadel's smile dropped. "Ah… sorry, Mother."

"Apologize to the lady."

"I'm very sorry for making you wait, Your Highness," Zadel said quickly.

Estelle stood and looked awkwardly between the pair. "Um, it's ok, really. I don't mind."

"Well, don't just stand there," Mrs. Zadel snapped. "You asked her to come all the way here."

"Yes, I'm sorry, would you please come with me, Your Highness?"

Estelle nodded and hurriedly followed Zadel, giving his mother one last glance before entering the house.

"Sorry about that," Zadel said as they walked down the hall. "My mother can be… a bit overbearing at times." He laughed and added, "That's why I usually work from the castle."

"Yes, I can see that," Estelle said. He was so friendly… could it all be act? She didn't want to believe Zadel was just playing along with his mother's instructions, but if he'd done the same to Alexei…

Zadel led her back to the sitting room and picked up a folder he'd left on the coffee table. "Here, I came across this information on Baction. I though it might be helpful to your research."

"Why thank you," Estelle said, taking the folder. She flipped through the papers and found that it was mostly just a history of the shrine and what was known about Astal. Her heart sunk; she already knew most of this. Still, she forced a smile. "Thank you very much. I'm sure this will be very helpful."

"I hope so. Now…" He hesitated and frowned, glancing at the open doorway to the hall. "I don't suppose you have any news about Commandant Flynn? The last I heard he was spotted leaving Dahngrest."

Estelle bit her lip. She wouldn't ordinarily spill everything she knew to him, just in case, but she was even more reluctant now, his mother's words ringing through her head. "Um… no, I haven't," she said. It was close enough to the truth. She hadn't heard anything from them in days, not since they left for Desier.

"I haven't, either," Zadel said. "I will be sure to let you know if I do find anything."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that very much."

"That is all I wanted to talk to you about. Unless you have anything else you need, I'd like to excuse myself and get back to work."

"Of course," Estelle said, standing up with the files tucked under her arm. "Thank you very much for this information. Have a nice day." She waved goodbye and left the sitting room. As she walked out of the mansion, she couldn't help but frown. She really wanted to trust Zadel, but now a kernel of doubt had lodged in her mind and wouldn't go away. She really wanted to talk to Rita about this, but she was back in Halure by now, and her communicator was out of commission with Flynn and Yuri. Estelle sighed and made her way back to the castle. She hoped her boys came home soon.

* * *

It had been at least twenty-four hours since they'd stopped to talk about Flynn's issues, which meant it had been about forty-eight hours since they'd had anything to drink and more than that since they'd had any food. Yuri's head felt light and fuzzy and muscles that he didn't even know he had ached. Dammit, he wasn't going to die here. He hadn't come so far and fought so hard to drop dead in a damn desert. He needed to get Flynn home, and he needed to figure out who hired the assassin if it wasn't Emmery, and he couldn't let Flynn die before clearing his name. He couldn't let history books remember him as a murderer. So he pushed himself forward, even though every muscle in his body begged to lie down and rest and maybe not get up again ever.

Flynn stumbled, and then fell forward. His cuffed hand dragged Yuri down with him, pulling Yuri to his knees. Yuri grunted as he unexpectedly hit the sand. "Hey," he grumbled. "Watch where you're walking."

Flynn didn't respond. Yuri looked down at him, but his face was hidden in the sand. He wasn't moving.

"Hey… Flynn?" Yuri pulled his hand forward, dragging Flynn's limp arm along with it. "Flynn, get up. We've got to keep moving… Flynn?" An icy hand clutched his heart, which was almost a relief in this heat. He reached over and nudged Flynn's shoulder. "Come on, get up. I want to rest, too, but we can't just lie here in the sun." Yuri's hands shook and his breath caught in his throat. Was Flynn even breathing? He took a deep breath to remain calm, but with every beat of his frantic heart his mind thought, _please don't be dead, please don't be dead, don't you dare be dead_.

He rolled Flynn onto his back as gently as he could, which was harder than he expected since his own muscles didn't want to work properly. Flynn's eyes were closed and his face was nearly pure red from sunburn, but Yuri caught the slightest rise and fall of his chest. Yuri let out a small sigh of relief and his muscles unclenched. "Don't scare me like that," he said in a hollow voice. Flynn may be alive, but he was still unconscious.

Yuri lightly patted the side of his face, hoping to wake him up. "Get up, Flynn. Flynn!" Yuri looked around, desperate to see anything that might help, even though he knew it was hopeless. "Come _on_. You can't die here, you bastard!" He attributed the crack in his voice to how parched his throat was. "You've got to get back to Zaphias and clear your name."

He wasn't a healer. All he knew about First Aid was to put the Apple Gel on the bleeding part. He didn't even know if Flynn had collapsed from heat, hunger, thirst, or possibly a combination of all three. He did, however, have a very strong gut feeling that if Flynn didn't get help soon, he wasn't going to wake up again. That possibility locked into his brain and his heart quickened with fear. He couldn't lose Flynn, not here, not like this.

"Fine," Yuri said to the empty desert. "If you're not going to walk, I'll have to carry you, you lazy asshole." It was only fair. He'd leaned on Flynn for his entire life, just like the empire was doing. Yuri let Flynn carry the weight of the world while he was content to pick off the leftovers, so now it was his turn to return the favour. He grabbed Flynn's arms and stood up, wrapping them around his necked and gripping his wrists tightly. He didn't have the strength to pick him up properly, so he took a few shaky steps with Flynn's feet dragging through the sand and his head lolling on Yuri's shoulder. Flynn's breath tickled his ear, but Yuri was alright with that. As long as Flynn was breathing, there was still hope.

"Ugh," Yuri groaned, pulling him up the next sand dune. "You're getting… so… fat. Too much cake… in the… castle."

Time wore on and the desert stretched out endlessly before him. Maybe he walked for minutes and maybe it was hours, but time seemed to fold in on itself in the haze of heat. He barely even felt the heat anymore; it was like his brain had given up registering the constant sun and just left him in a warm, painful limbo. He probably wasn't even walking in a straight line, but it was hard to tell because the horizon kept moving, like they were on a ship again. His head was light and fuzzy and throbbed with a headache, and he knew he probably didn't have much longer before he collapsed himself. He had to keep pushing himself forward, though. He could deal with dying out here himself, but Flynn's survival depended on him pushing forward, and there was no way he was going to let Flynn die.

He tripped over the creek bed before he noticed it. He fell flat on his face with Flynn crushing him, and he spent a few fumbling seconds trying to push him off. He looked to the creek bed with hope, and then growled in frustration when he saw that it was dry. The ground was cracked and ridged, like there had been water there recently, but now it was as dry as the rest of the desert. "Dammit," he seethed.

But if there had been water here recently, maybe there was still some underneath? It was worth a shot. Using the knife as a makeshift trowel, he dug into the dry creek. The ground was hard and the effort of digging wore him out even more than walking had. His shirt, which hung open and exposed his entire chest, was drenched with sweat, but there wasn't even the faintest whiff of a breeze to get any comfort from being so wet so he just felt hot and uncomfortably sticky. Flynn, though, was bone dry. He didn't have any water left to sweat, so Yuri could deal with being sticky if it meant he wasn't completely dehydrated yet.

The dirt was getting darker the deeper he dug, and felt cool to the touch. He wondered if he should dig a great big hole and put Flynn in it, but he doubted he had the strength to dig that much. Dirt caked under his fingernails as he dug, using the knife to loosen the ground up and then scooping it aside. He barely even thought about what he was doing, his fried brain not capable of thinking about too much else. He was so focused on digging that he didn't even notice at first with water trickled onto his fingers.

He froze, and stared at the puddle like it was a pot of gold. "Flynn!" he croaked. "Flynn, I found water." He reached down and tried to scoop some up in his cupped hands, but there was only about half an inch of muddy water, and it kept slipping through his fingers. In frustration, he tore his sash off his head and soaked it in the puddle. He desperately wanted to drink the entire puddle of water himself, but he knew Flynn needed it more.

"Hey… here, open your mouth." He held the wet sash over Flynn's face, and with his other hand he grabbed Flynn's jaw and pried his mouth open. He squeezed the sash, wringing all the water into Flynn's mouth. "You'd better… appreciate this," he grunted. "You're not even enjoying it." When he couldn't get any more out of the fabric, he went back to the puddle and filled it up again. He was going to keep going until Flynn opened his eyes again. He had no idea if this small puddle of warm, muddy water was even nearly enough, but he wasn't going to give up. He was so thirsty he felt like he could drink the entire ocean, but he couldn't spare any of this water for himself because Flynn needed it more.

He made three more trips to get as much water was he could into Flynn, until the puddle he'd been using dried up and all he had was mud. Yuri lay on his chest, staring down at the hole in despair. Flynn was still unconscious, dammit, he needed more water. He didn't even bother reaching for the knife this time and started clawing in the dirt, hoping to find more water if he went deeper. Maybe he might actually take some for himself this time. His lips were cracked and sore, but licking them did no good because his tongue was like sandpaper.

He saw movement and stopped digging, his mud-caked hand hovering over the hole. At the bottom he saw a mass of worms wriggling around to escape the sun they had suddenly been exposed to. The ground, however, was dry. There wasn't any more water here, and there weren't any more cacti for as far as they eye could see, and for all he knew they were further into the desert and not closer to the coast. Yuri lay still, the sun beating down on him. They needed to keep moving so he could get Flynn back to Zaphias, but… maybe in a couple of minutes. He'd just rest here for a little while and build up his strength before moving again.

The sun burned. His mind drifted. Worms wriggled around before his eyes. Worms… they were like rat tails. Heh, Flynn would hate this. He thought about their trip through the sewers that felt like so long ago now. All those little rat tails living under the puddle, writhing around in a knotted mass. It was like what Ted said ages ago. Rat tails getting all tied together to make one big nasty rat monster. Rat catchers must hate those bastards… they were all prepared to go after single rats, but then they find a whole knotted mess of the things.

He probably stared at that pit in a daze for at least fifteen minutes until the worms had all crawled away into the earth again. He could have laid there for hours for all he knew. All he knew for sure was that at some point, a single clear thought broke through the haze of heat, thirst, and hunger: _what if we're not looking for just one rat either_? They thought they were trying to catch one rat bastard who hired an assassin, but what if they were actually looking for a mess of rats all tied together? They couldn't find anyone who matched all their criteria for a culprit, but what if there was a whole group of people in on the scheme and they all took care of one aspect of it? They weren't looking for one asshole who hired an assassin, they were looking for a whole damn conspiracy.

"Flynn… I figured it out…" He didn't even raise his head to speak. Flynn wasn't listening anyway. But he'd figured it out, so now they _had_ to get back to Zaphias so he could tell everyone. He'd get up again and keep walking in just a few minutes… yeah… a few minutes. He just wanted a bit of a rest now, to maybe take a nap and give his weary body a break…

A shadow passed over them. Was it a cloud? He looked up with hope; he hadn't seen a single cloud since they got to Mantaic. He squinted against the bright sunlight and saw not a cloud but a solid form flying through the sky. A monster? It was coming toward them. Maybe it was Phaeroh again. It didn't look like it had wings though. In fact, it looked like a giant whale flying through the sky, but perhaps he was delirious.

The massive form settled into the dirt a few feet away from them, and then a human figure slid down off its back. "Oh my," said a familiar voice. "Looks like I found you just in time."

Yuri raised his head and forced a smile when Judith knelt next to him. "And what kind of time… do you call this… huh?"

"Sorry I'm late," she said, pulling a pin out of her hair. "You strayed rather far from the road. Karol told me you boys were in Desier, so I thought I'd stop by and see if you needed a lift. Can you get that cuff off your wrist?"

Yuri took the pin from her and forced himself into an upright position. The promise of salvation gave him a boost of energy. It took a couple tries with his clumsy, shaking hands, but eventually he managed to pick the lock and toss the cuff to the side. "Thanks." He slid the pin into his boot, just in case he needed it again.

"Myorzo isn't too far away," Judy said, grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet. "We'll go there and get you boys some food and water."

"Great… I could go for a burger I think." He bent over and started to reach for Flynn, but Judith grabbed him and pulled him away. "Just climb up on Ba'ul's back. I'll take care of Flynn, don't worry."

Yuri nodded. He really didn't have the energy to argue with her right now. A rope ladder attached to one of Ba'ul's fins allowed him to climb onto his back. Yuri stretched out on Ba'ul's wide, soft back. It was still hot, but at least he wasn't lying in sand anymore. He gently patted Ba'ul and said, "Good to see you again, Ba'ul." He felt a rumble vibrate through his body, which he took as a hello.

Judith climbed up the ladder with one hand, the other holding Flynn draped around her shoulders. Yuri crawled over and helped her pull him up. Once they were settled, Judy pulled the ladder up and Ba'ul rose into the sky.

"Is he going to be ok?" Yuri asked, kneeling over Flynn.

"I think so," Judy said. "We'll have a doctor look at him in Myorzo. Here," she pulled a water canteen out of her bag. "You could probably use it."

"Thanks," Yuri said, but didn't drink it immediately himself. He poured some on his sash to squeeze a few more drops into Flynn's mouth, since he figured it wouldn't be good to pour it into him while he was unconscious.

"Drink it yourself, Yuri," Judy said.

"He needs it more," Yuri insisted.

"You need to drink something before you faint yourself. He'll be fine."

Yuri frowned, which hurt his burned face and cracked lips. Perhaps Judy had a point. He pressed the cool, wet fabric against Flynn's forehead to try to cool him off, and then poured the rest of the water into his grateful mouth.

"Don't worry about Flynn," Judy said. "I'll take care of him. I've got some Apple Gels in my bag. You should get some rest yourself."

"Yeah, alright." As much as he wanted to make sure Flynn was alright, the prospect of sleep was too good to pass up. Without another word, he lay down, closed his eyes, and almost immediately fell asleep.


	12. Eleventh Hour

Flynn woke up in a strange room with a headache. There was a pitcher of water and a glass on the nightstand by the bed, but he forwent the glass and chugged water straight from the pitcher. It was cool and fresh, and he felt like he hadn't had a drink in years. When the entire pitcher was empty, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked around. The walls were stone and covered in tall, thin windows tinted green. Where the hell was he? The last thing he remembered, they were trudging through the desert. He got up, pausing for a moment to deal with a wave of dizziness. He'd just drunk an entire pitcher of water, but he was still thirsty, and hungry too. He decided to go find Yuri and maybe figure out where they were.

He crossed the room and then stepped outside. At least, he was pretty sure it was outside. He could feel a cool breeze and couldn't see a roof above him, but instead of sky he saw a shifting miasma of green, almost like they were underwater. He stood on a stone walkway, and leaned against the railing to get a better look around. Below was a plaza, lined with dome-roofed buildings. A few people were scattered through the plaza, and every single one of them appeared to be Krityan. He wasn't positive, but if he had to hazard a guess, he'd say he was in the Krityan village.

"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty."

Flynn looked over and saw Yuri and Judith walking toward him. Yuri grinned when he reached Flynn's side. "Good to see you finally got your ass out of bed."

"Where are we and how did we get here?" he asked.

"You're in Myorzo," Judith said. "The Krityan village."

Ah, so he'd been right. "I suppose I have you to thank for this turn of events?"

Judith smiled slightly. "I found you two collapsed in the desert and thought I should give you a lift."

"I can't thank you enough," Flynn said. "You saved our lives."

"It was no problem. Ba'ul did most of the hard work," Judith said.

"We're just about to grab dinner," Yuri said. "Care to join us?"

"Please, I'm starving," Flynn said. He followed them down the walkway and asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"You passed out yesterday afternoon," Yuri said. "I carried you a bit further until Judy picked us up. Ba'ul carried us here to Myorzo, and the city is now drifting northeast." Judith opened a door and let them into a room with a table in the middle. There were more of those tall, greenish windows in here, and the table was already set up with food. Flynn's stomach rumbled at the sight of it.

"I owe you my thanks, Yuri," Flynn said, taking a seat at the table. In the middle of the table were platters of tempura and rice, which Flynn wasted no time in piling onto his plate. "You saved my life."

Yuri shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Yeah, well, someone had to keep going after the delicate commandant fainted."

Flynn glared at him, which wasn't very threatening because his cheeks were stuffed with shrimp.

"I wouldn't get too cocky, Yuri," Judith said. "You were collapsed in the dirt when I found you, too."

"Yeah, well, I lasted long than he did."

"Perhaps we should just both be thankful that Judith found us when she did," Flynn said. "Although, I do have to worry that even if we've been rescued from the desert, my trial is only two days away. What chance do we have of catching the culprit before then?" It was time to start thinking about what he'd do with his life if he had to remain a fugitive for the rest of his days. He supposed he could see if he could stay here, in Myorzo. It was cut off from the rest of the world and he'd certainly be able to evade the knights here. He didn't know if he liked the idea of living the rest of his life as a hermit, unable to get involved with wider society. He didn't have many choices, though.

"Actually, I need to tell you about something," Yuri said. "I had an epiphany in the desert. What do you think of the idea that we're not looking for just one culprit, but a whole conspiracy of them?"

Flynn paused, a fried shrimp halfway to his face. "That's…" It was like the clouds had rushed open and let light shine down into his head. "Of course. Why didn't I think of this earlier?"

Judith nodded. "Yuri explained his theory to me. It would explain why all the evidence points to different people."

"That must be it," Flynn said. "One person is set to inherit the land all the gold, but they brought in the help of their friends to kill Borden and Emmery and frame me, so that they wouldn't get caught by doing it all themselves."

"No doubt promised to split the money with them," Yuri said.

Flynn nodded slowly. "A whole group of them were in on it. Each one took care of a different aspect of the job. One of them stole my knife, another staged my shirt, and a different one went to Dahngrest to hire the assassin. That way, it's impossible to line up who could have done all of those things to narrow down the culprit." He felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. It was such an obvious scheme. "We need to tell Lady Estellise about this." He also wanted to let her know they were fine. It had been over a week since they last spoke with her; she must be worried.

"Just a sec," Yuri said, getting up. "I'll grab the communicator."

He left the table, while Flynn downed another glass of water. He felt like he could keep drinking non-stop and never be satisfied.

"You know," Judith said once Yuri was gone, "Yuri really was worried about you. When I picked him up, all he cared about was making sure you were ok."

Flynn set the empty glass down on the table. While refilling it with the pitcher on the table, he said, "I know. Yuri's never been very good at expressing his feelings."

"You're lucky to have such a loyal friend," she said with a smile.

Flynn smiled. "Yes, I am. He drives me crazy sometimes… often times… but I don't think I could ask for a better friend."

Yuri returned from a back room, and Flynn and Judith stopped talking. He looked between them suspiciously and said, "Weren't talking about me, were you?"

"Why ever would you think that?" said Judith with a playful smirk.

"Whatever," Yuri said, sitting down again and pushing the machine toward Flynn. "Here, you probably want to type."

"Please." Flynn pulled it closer and started typing. _Hello, Lady Estellise, are you present?_

She didn't respond right away, so they ate in silence for a minute or so before the machine sprang to life.

_Flynn! 8D I'm so glad you're alright; I've been so worried about you. Is Yuri there, too?_

"Say hi for me," Yuri said between stuffing his face.

 _Yes, he says hello_ , Flynn wrote. _We were picked up by Judith and Ba'ul and are currently enjoying dinner in Myorzo._

 _I'm so glad to hear you're safe =),_ Estelle wrote quickly. _You didn't encounter any problems in Mantaic, did you?_

Flynn paused, considering how to answer. They had encountered quite a few problems in Mantaic, but there was no point worrying her needlessly. She didn't need to know about their brush with death in the desert. _We had a brief run-in with the Knights, but nothing serious. However, Lady Emmery was murdered. She is not our culprit._

 _Murdered?!_ _=O How horrible! By whom?_

_We do not know for certain. We caught a man in the act and Yuri threw a knife and injured his leg, but he managed to evade us._

_I guess we're back to square one, now. =\_

_So it would seem. We're going to return to Zaphias. I think we have our best chance of catch the culprit there._

_Oh, I forgot! I wanted to tell you that I figured out that Peel was working with Borden. He was in on the land scheme and that's why he as so intent on punishing you._

Flynn paused to consider this. It certainly made sense. It didn't change the fact that Peel was behaving unprofessionally, but at least it meant he wasn't the culprit they were after. It meant that one of his own knights hadn't plotted to eliminate him, which was somewhat comforting. _That's interesting. Speaking of people working together, Yuri and I have a theory that we're not looking for just one person, but an entire conspiracy._

_O_O You're right. That would make so much more sense. It will probably be harder to pin down, though =\_

_Yes, and we don't have much time. Have you found any other clues?_

_Well… I visited Zadel's home yesterday. I met his mother and she seems very nice, but she said some things that got me thinking about Zadel. Are you really sure you can trust him?_

_Zadel? Do you really think he's involved?_

_I'm not sure. His mother implied that he's only faking his support for you =(_

Flynn's hands hovered over the keys, not sure what to say. If what Estelle said was true, this was quite disheartening. If Zadel's friendliness was faked, how many others he counted among his allies were also fake? He sighed. _Let's not jump to conclusions until we have more proof._

_Ok. I look forward to seeing you both in Zaphias soon. Be safe! =)_

_You as well. Goodnight._ Flynn pushed the machine out of the way and returned to dinner. While he ate, Yuri read over the transcript.

"Zadel, huh?" Yuri said. "Do I know him?"

"I doubt it," Flynn said. "He's never done anything to warrant attention from you. By which I mean, he's always proven himself to be a decent and honest man."

"A decent and honest Council member? Sure, and I'm the emperor."

The door opened, and an older man entered. "Good evening," the Krityan man said. "I am glad to see you have awakened."

"Thank you," Flynn said. "I owe it to your village's hospitality."

"Flynn," Judith said, "this is the Krityan elder. I filled him in on the case, and he offered to look some things up for you."

"I spoke with Krones," the elder said, approaching the table.

"Who is Krones?" Flynn asked.

"Krones is the Entelexeia who carries Myorzo," Judith explained.

This didn't answer much to Flynn. "Myorzo is carried by an Entelexeia?"

"He's sort of like a giant jellyfish," Yuri provided. "Except he flies."

"We're riding on the back of a giant jellyfish?" Flynn asked, looking out the green-tinted windows in confusion.

"Hm," Judith said, "more like inside one. The swirling green colour of the sky is actually the dome of his body."

Flynn sat still, not entirely sure what to do with this information. He felt that Yuri should have explained this earlier, because being inside a giant, intelligent, flying jellyfish was a thing he felt he ought to know. "I see."

"What did you ask Krones?" Judith asked, moving on from Flynn's bafflement.

"I thought it might be possible that he remembers the name of the family you seek," the elder said. "He was, after all, alive at the time humans first settled Hypionia."

"Great," Yuri said. "So, does he remember?"

"No," the elder said.

The three of them deflated. "Oh," Yuri said.

"However," the elder said, "he does remember Astal complaining about the humans, and he is fairly sure the name started with a Z. He said it was likely Zay or Zah something. I'm afraid that is all I can contribute."

"Thank you," Flynn said. He glanced at Yuri, who was clearly thinking the same thing.

"Good luck in your investigation," the elder said, and then left.

They sat in silence for almost a minute after he was gone, not even eating. Yuri said it first. "So… what were you saying about your honest and decent pal Zadel?"

Flynn frowned. "We don't _know_ it was him…"

Judith pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You have to admit, it's fairly suspicious."

"He invited me out that night," Flynn said. "If I hadn't turned him down, I would have had an airtight alibi."

"Why did you turn him down?" Judith asked.

"Lady Joplin gave me a mountain of paperwork. She gave it to me late, so I absolutely had to do it that night."

"That's pretty convenient if you ask me," Yuri said. "She just happened to load you up with work to make sure you'd stay in all night."

"And then," Judith said, "when your drink was spiked you barely completed any of it, so you can't even point to all the work you did as evidence that you were busy all night."

"If Zadel knew his accomplice was going to pile you up with work," Yuri said, "he could invite you out with confidence, knowing you'd turn him down but still painting himself as an ally who knew nothing of the plot."

"Then," Judith said, "one of the nobles who live near you in the castle could swipe your shirt from the maid and set that up."

"While a different noble who couldn't possibly have gotten your shirt swiped your knife."

Flynn stared at the crumbs on his plate. It was all coming together, and he wasn't sure he liked the finished picture. How could Zadel betray him like this? "Joplin was the one who gave me the papers. I think it is safe to say that she is involved. As for Zadel… we still don't know for sure. We should inform Lady Estellise of our suspicions and await further confirmation. When we get the Zaphias, we'll pay a visit to Joplin and see if we can get the names of the other conspirators out of her."

"Sounds good to me," Yuri said.

At the very least, this whole mess would be over soon. His trial was set for the day after tomorrow, so win or lose, it was going to end tomorrow.

* * *

Estelle sat on the edge of the partially completed fountain in the lower quarter, waiting for Flynn and Yuri. They were still several hours away, but she got restless sitting around in the castle. She had the communicator with her, waiting for one of them to give her news of when they were landing. Ba'ul would set them down outside the city and then they'd sneak in through the lower quarter and plan their next move from Yuri's place.

"Princess Estellise!"

She looked over and saw Ted hurrying toward her with a big smile. "I didn't know you were coming down here today."

"Hello, Ted," Estelle said. "I'm waiting for Flynn and Yuri; they're coming back today."

"Really?" he asked with wide eyes. "Did they figure out who the bad guy is yet?"

"Not quite," Estelle said. "But they have some theories and we're going to work on it from Zaphias."

"Oh, ok," Ted said, sitting down next to her. "I guess they'll have to work fast. Flynn's trial is tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Yes." A flutter of fear tore through her heart. The trial had always seemed so far away, but they were almost out of time. She was so worried about Flynn it made her feel sick. "But… it will be ok. It has to be."

"Right!" Ted said. "Um, Princess Estellise… when the case is over, can we, um, can we still hang out?"

Estelle smiled cheerfully. "Of course we can, Ted." Her smile quickly faded, though, as Rita's words came back to her. She really should talk to Ted.

"Oh, good!" he said with a big smile. "But, even when Yuri comes back… it can be just you and me sometimes, right?"

Estelle hesitated, not sure how to respond. If she assured him that yes, of course just the two of them could hang out, that really would be leading him on. Oh, why did this have to happen to her? She just wanted to be friends. Alright, she had to do this. She'd done it before, hadn't she? This couldn't be nearly as hard as when she'd had to tell Flynn she wanted to go back to just being friends. She took a deep breath and then said, "Ted… I think we need to talk."

He tilted his head to the side. "About what?"

"About… um, about us. Ted, you know you and I are only friends, right?"

Ted blushed. "W-well, yeah, but - but maybe… we could… um…."

Estelle sighed. "Ted, I'm sorry. I really like you and I think you're a very nice boy, but you're too young for me. You understand, don't you?"

"I'm not that young!" Ted protested. "I'm twelve!"

"Yes, and I'm nineteen," Estelle said. "I'm afraid I'm just too old for you."

Ted stared up at her with wide eyes like a kicked puppy. Estelle wanted to hug him tightly and tell him it would be ok, because she couldn't stand seeing a little boy upset like that, but doing that wouldn't help this situation at all. "But… it's only seven years. When we grow up, seven years will be nothing!"

"I know, but right now… um… you're still a child, Ted, and I'm a grown-up. I think you should try to find a nice girl your age. I'm sure you'll make her very happy."

"I could make _you_ very happy, Princess. When I'm twenty and you're twenty-seven, seven years won't seem like that much!"

Estelle smiled a bit. "You're very sweet, Ted. Um… ok, how about this? We'll wait until you grow up. When you're twenty and I'm twenty-seven, if you still like me, then I'll go on a date with you."

Ted perked up a bit. "Really?"

Estelle nodded. She was ninety-eight percent sure that his crush couldn't possibly last more than a year at most. Even if by some miracle Ted did still have a crush on her seven years from now, she had only promised one date. "Yes, I promise. But for now, I want you to promise me that you won't ignore other girls while waiting, ok?"

"Ok," he said with resignation. He got up from the fountain and said, "Um, I think I'm just going to go home now."

"Don't you want to wait for Flynn and Yuri?"

Ted shook his head. "No, I just… I think I want to go home now."

"Alright. I'll see you later, Ted."

"Yeah, bye, Princess Estellise."

He left, dragging his feet on the old cobblestones. Estelle sighed, wishing she could make him happy somehow. She looked down at the little machine and typed, _Hello, are you almost here? =3_

_hey estelle. we'll land in about 2 hours probly._

Estelle smiled, happy for the distraction. _Hi, Yuri. =)_ It was almost funny how easy it was to tell which one of them was typing. _That's good to hear; I miss you a lot. =( Where's Flynn?_ She had to imagine Flynn wasn't present if he was allowing Yuri to type.

_still sleeping._

_At this time of day? That's unlike him. =\_

_the doc says he just needs lots of sleep to recover._

Estelle's heart skipped a beat and she typed so quickly she was surprised she managed to spell everything right. _=O Doctor!? What's wrong with Flynn?! Is he hurt? He told me yesterday everything was ok! D=_

There was a long pause before Yuri started typing again.

_…crap. i wasn't supposed to tell you that. don't worry about it._

_Yuri! You tell me what's wrong with Flynn right now! D8_

_it's nothing serious. he got a little dehidrated, that's all._

Estelle frowned, not entirely pacified. _If you're sure… =\ Is he going to be ok to investigate Zadel when you get here?_

_ya probly._

_If it would help, I can go check out his house myself =)_

_no, we'll take care of it._

_But if Flynn is sick, I want to take care of this and save him the trouble._ They were low on time, so anything she could do to help them along would be useful.

_if zadel is the one who killed borden, he could be dangerous._

_I know. I can take care of myself, Yuri. =\ After all we've been through, you still think I need to be protected?_

_your right, sorry. be glad flynn is asleep or he'd be giving you a much harder time. see if you can find any evidence on zadel, but don't give away what you know._

_Alright, I can do that! =D I'll send you guys a message if I find anything._

_ok. see you in a few hours._

_Goodbye. Tell Flynn I hope he gets better soon, and that once he's well I need to slap him for trying to hide this from me =(_

_hahaha, will do. see ya._

Estelle packed the machine into her bag, stood up, dusted off her skirt, and then made her way back toward the royal quarter. As she walked, she considered what exactly she'd look for to find proof of Zadel's guilt. Maybe if she could slip away unnoticed and search his bedroom or something like that? She's figure it out.

She still didn't have a specific plan in mind by the time she reached Zadel's mansion. When the butler opened the door, she smiled innocently and said, "Hello, sir. I was wondering if Lord Zadel was home?"

"I'm afraid he's not in right now," the butler said, "but he should be home for lunch soon. You may come in and wait for him, if you wish."

"Yes, thank you." She followed him down the hall to the same sitting room she'd been in last time. A vase of fresh orchids sat on the table. "Oh, what pretty flowers, she said. "Are those from Mrs. Zadel's garden?"

"That's right," the butler said. "Madam Zadel takes great pride in her garden. She has plants from all over the world."

"Yes, I saw her garden. It's lovely." She sat down on the sofa, breathing in the scent of the fresh flowers. The smell was familiar somehow, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Can I get you anything, Your Highness?"

"No, thank you," Estelle said. "Please just tell Lord Zadel I'm here when he gets home." When the butler left, she'd get up and do some investigating on her own. If anybody asked, she was looking for the bathroom.

"Make yourself comfortable, then," the butler said, turning to leave the room. As he turned around, his cane caught on the edge of the rug. He stumbled and fell to his knees with a hiss of pain.

"Oh, are you alright?!" Estelle leapt to her feet and hurried over. "Are you hurt? Can I help you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the butler said, twisting over to sit down and gingerly stretching out his leg. "Please, don't concern yourself with me, Your Highness."

"I'd feel better if I could help you. Let me see your leg." Before the butler could stop her, she grabbed the hem of his pant and rolled the leg up. She had expected an old injury or a bad knee that her healing powers might be able to help, but what she found instead was a white bandage wrapped around his calf. "Oh," she said. "This is a recent injury, then?"

"Yes," the butler said. "I'm afraid I'm not entirely used to walking with the cane yet, hence my clumsiness. Please, Your Highness, don't concern yourself with me. It's just a small wound and will heal on its own."

"I can heal it now," Estelle offered. The idea of walking away from someone who was hurt was inconceivable to her. "Let me just see the wound."

The butler sighed. "If you insist, Your Highness."

Estelle carefully unwound the bandage so she could get a better look at the injury. The wound was already healing; she'd guess it was a bit under a week old. Luckily it looked like a clean cut, like it had been made with a knife or something like that. She was about to heal it when a sudden stab of realization nearly took her breath away. "Um… sir, where did you say you got this injury from?"

"It was just an accident," he said. "I tripped."

She frowned. "On a knife?"

The butler nodded slowly and met her eyes with an icy expression. "Yes."

They stared at each other in a long silence. Estelle took a deep breath, and she suddenly realized what scent those orchids reminded her of: it was cinnamon.

"I see," she said slowly, firing up her magic. She didn't think she needed to sneak around to get any more information. Flynn was going to be thrilled when she told him about this.

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe?" Flynn asked, looking around Ba'ul's back. "I feel like I need a seatbelt or something."

"Relax," Judith said. "Even if you fall, Ba'ul is fast enough to catch you out of the air… probably."

Flynn frowned, not at all pacified. He was starting to wish he could be unconscious for this trip, too.

"Stop worrying," Yuri said, sitting down behind him. "It's perfectly safe."

"If you insist," Flynn said. He really wished Ba'ul had handles.

With a lurch, Ba'ul took off from Myorzo. The village was now flying above Ilyccia, so Ba'ul flew in tight circles to the ground and set them down in the plains around Zaphias. From here, it would be about a ten minute walk to get into the city. As much as Flynn appreciated Judith and Ba'ul's assistance in the desert, he was grateful for his feet to be on solid ground again.

When he and Yuri were off Ba'ul, they looked back up to Judith, who sat casually by his head. "If you boys don't think you'll need me, I'm going to head back to Dahngrest now."

"I think we can manage on our own," Yuri said. "Karol needs you for a job, right? You should get back to him."

"Alright," she said. "Good luck. Ba'ul and I will come back in a couple of days if the trial doesn't go well and you need to escape from the city fast."

"In that cast," Flynn said, "I hope you won't take offense if I say I hope I don't see you for quite a while."

Judith smiled. "None taken. Good luck!"

Yuri waved, and Ba'ul took off. Flynn turned and looked to Zaphias on the horizon with a serious expression. "I really thought that the next time I saw this city, I'd have caught the killer and my problems would be over."

"We'll catch them today, don't worry," Yuri said. "No matter what it takes."

Flynn nodded and they started walking. He had to keep his hopes up, even if it was already mid-afternoon. Ready or not, he had to stand trial tomorrow afternoon. If he didn't show up, he'd be found guilty. If he showed up and they hadn't caught the actual perpetrator yet, he'd still be found guilty. "Yuri… I want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow, I am confident that we did everything we could have. You helped me more than I-"

"Stop," Yuri said. "Save it for if we actually do fail. As far as I'm concerned, you'll be pardoned tomorrow and the real bastard will be properly behind bars."

"Alright," Flynn said, wishing he could share Yuri's optimism. He glanced over at Yuri's face, though, and realized it wasn't really optimism. Yuri wasn't confident that everything would be ok, but he was confident that keeping a positive attitude was the best way to move forward. He was right; dwelling on what would happen if they failed wouldn't help.

When they reached the city, they cautiously entered the gates, looking around for any knights. There didn't seem to be any, and Flynn knew nobody in the lower quarter would turn them in, but he was still on edge. The capital city was a dangerous place to be for a wanted man. If it came down to a fight, he wasn't sure what to do. All they had was the knife stolen from the knights, since their swords had been left with the knights in Mantaic.

Yuri saw his fingers twitching at his empty belt and said, "Yeah, I miss my sword too."

"I don't want to fight my knights," Flynn said, glancing down a street as they passed just in case, "but I'd like to know the option was there."

"I just want my sword back," Yuri said. "That was a damn good sword."

"You'll be able to get it back," Flynn said. "The knights won't just throw it away. They'll bring it back and it will probably end up in either the armoury or the confiscated goods storage room. Either way, you getting arrested doesn't negate your ownership of the sword. Once you've served your time for helping me break out of jail, just ask for it back and legally they have to give it to you."

"Ugh, don't remind me about the jail time," Yuri said. "I was hoping to find a way to avoid that."

"Sorry," Flynn said. "But, you _did_ break a man out of jail. If you ever want to show your face in the empire without being wanted again, you're going to have to serve time for that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Yuri grumbled. "I'd consider just not returning to the empire and spending the rest of my time in Dahngrest, but there are people I need to see in Zaphias. It'll be hard to visit Estelle at the castle if I'm a wanted man."

"It shouldn't be too long," Flynn said as they approached the fountain. "If I get my job back, as commandant I can shorten your sentence as much as possible."

"You should have told me that earlier! Now I actually have some motivation to get you back into office," he said with a smirk.

Flynn smiled. "Thanks a lot, Yuri." They reached the square with the fountain, but didn't see Estelle. His smiled faded. "Didn't she say she'd meet us here?"

"Yeah," Yuri said, "but then she said she was heading back to the royal quarter to meet with Zadel again to try to save us some time."

"What? She went alone?"

"Relax, Flynn," Yuri said, sitting down on the edge of the fountain. "Estelle's fought tougher guys than some smarmy councilman."

"I suppose…" His instinct telling him she was a princess who needed protecting often struggled against his common sense that she was a strong, capable fighter who could hold her own in battle. He sat next to Yuri and pulled out the communicator. "I'm just going to check in with her, just in case." He quickly typed, _Hello, Lady Estellise, are you there? Yuri and I have arrived safely in Zaphias._

She didn't reply right away, which made Flynn anxious. He stared at the machine, willing it to spring to life. He knew he couldn't expect her to be right next to it at all times but he couldn't help imagining all the terrible things that could have happened to her to prevent her from responding. He relaxed when the machine vibrated and started typing.

_Yes, hello! I'm glad to hear of your safe arrival._

_Where are you now?_ Flynn wrote. _Are you still at Zadel's mansion?_

_I just left. Oh, Flynn, I'm so excited! I found some really great evidence. I'm certain now that Zadel is our guy._

_Really? That's wonderful!_ If Estelle had concrete evidence that could tangibly link Zadel to the assassin… if this could really all be over and their culprit caught… he barely dared to believe it could be true. _What did you find?_

_It's kind of complicated. I'll explain in person, since you're already in the city. Can you meet me outside Zadel's mansion? I'll be waiting around the side of the house, so we can talk without people noticing us hanging around._

Flynn nodded, and then realized that was dumb because obviously she couldn't see him. Instead he wrote, _Yes, that's fine. We're on our way._

_Great! See you soon._

Flynn looked over to Yuri, who had read over his shoulder. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah," Yuri said. "Give me a couple minutes, though. I've got some stuff I want to take care of."

Flynn frowned. "What sort of stuff?"

"Personal stuff," Yuri said, getting up. "I just need to talk to Hanks real quick. Won't be more than five minutes."

"Alright. I'll wait here." Yuri wandered off, while Flynn sat and enjoyed the sun. He hoped Yuri didn't take too long, because he'd be able to enjoy the sun much more when all of this was behind him.

Yuri was gone for almost ten minutes. When he came back, Flynn looked up with a mild glare. "Five minutes, huh?"

Yuri shrugged. "Give or take."

"I can't believe you're still late even though I gave you my pocket watch." He stood up, and they started walking.

"I told you, I don't know where it is right now."

"That's reassuring," Flynn said. "You'd better find it, Yuri. I'm going to be quite upset with you if you lost it."

"Well, maybe - and stop me if this sounds crazy - if you're so concerned with it, you shouldn't throw it at my head!"

"And maybe _you_ should be on time for once!"

They made their way up through the city. Once they left the lower quarter, it took longer than usual because they took all the side streets to avoid being seen. The closer they got to the royal quarter, the greater the risk of being caught. They stopped talking to concentrate on stealth, and a few times Flynn nearly had a heart attack from their proximity to knights around the corner, but eventually they made it to Zadel's mansion without being spotted. Yuri, the bastard that he was, even seemed to have enjoyed the trip.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to be disappointed when you go back to being accepting by the knights?"

"Aw, come on," Yuri said. "This is the most excitement I've had since the Adephagos. Now let's go find Estelle and put this bastard behind bars."

"Right," Flynn said. He led the way, through the open gates and up the path through the front garden. There was a narrow strip of grass between the side of the house and the brick wall, which was where he assumed Estelle was waiting for them. He and Yuri passed the bushes, rounded the house, and stopped short as they stared down the empty strip of land. There was no Estelle. Flynn was about to say something when a bush rustled, a flash of movement from a nearby tree crossed the corner of his eye, and then something small and pointy pricked his back. It was a crossbow.

"Keep your hands where I can see them," came a gruff voice. It wasn't Estelle, and it wasn't even the knights.

 _Well_ , Flynn thought grimly, _it looks like we found our culprit._


	13. Rats and Cheese

Flynn jerked his head around, but held out his hands to make it clear he wasn't reaching for a non-existent weapon. There were four men behind them, two of which were armed with crossbows.

One of them reached forward and pulled the knife out of Yuri's belt, while Yuri was immobilized by the crossbow digging into his back.

Flynn bristled with fury, but the number one thing that preyed on his mind was, "Where is Lady Estellise?" It was obvious now that the message to meet them hadn't come from her, but it had obviously come from her device. How did these bastards get it, and where was Estelle? It was bad enough that he'd dragged Yuri into this, but if Estelle got hurt trying to help him… His heart clenched just thinking about it.

"No talking," Reyes, the one with the crossbow pointed at Flynn, said. "Come with us, and don't make any sudden movements."

Flynn glanced to Yuri to see if he had any plans. The look of quiet seething fury on his face told Flynn that he didn't. With no other options but to take a crossbow bolt through his spine, Flynn and Yuri slowly turned around and let the Council members lead them to the door. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Flynn felt like their only chance of escape got locked out. They were trapped in this mansion with four men who were probably going to kill them, and he had no weapon, no plan, and no idea where Estelle was. All he could hope for was that Yuri wouldn't do anything stupid and get himself prematurely killed. They were led into a sitting room off the main entrance, and then forced to sit down in a pair of back-to-back chairs.

"Hallward," Reyes snapped, "get the rope."

"Aw, come on," Yuri said when one of the councilmen stepped forward with a long length of rope. "I'm not into bondage."

"Shut up," Morell said, punching Yuri squarely in the face. Yuri's head flew back and crashed into the back of Flynn's head with a _crack_.

"Ow!" Flynn said. "Dammit, Yuri!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who hit me!"

Flynn didn't bother responding. The last thing he wanted to do was bicker with Yuri right now. While the councilman fumbled around with the rope, Flynn's eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape. The problem, though, were the two crossbows trained on them. After these men showed no problem murdering Borden and Emmery, Flynn had little doubt they would hesitate to shoot him and Yuri if they made the slightest move to escape. Neither of them had a weapon, or anything to use to shield themselves from the crossbows. There was nothing he could do but sit still and quietly hold in his fury as Hallward completed the knots, securely binding them to the chairs.

Once he and Yuri were immobilized, the four men visibly relaxed. "Ok," Reyes said, looking to the others, "um… what do we do now?"

"Where is Lady Estellise?" Flynn tried again.

"Hey!" the fourth man said. "You're our captive. You don't get to ask questions."

Flynn finally got a good look at him, and blinked in surprise. "Killar? You too?"

"What?" Yuri craned his neck around to look. "It's Killer? He's one of the guys?"

Councilman Killar crossed his arms and glared at Flynn.

Yuri cheered. "I _knew_ it!"

"This isn't the time, Yuri," Flynn snapped.

"We should just kill them," Hallward said. "They know too much. Even if they don't have any evidence, if they tell the knights their suspicions, they might launch an investigation."

"Oh, yeah," Reyes said. "Like the commandant's body showing up murdered wouldn't raise any suspicions either!"

The door to the sitting room creaked open, and Zadel himself entered the room, followed by Joplin. He quickly surveyed the scene, and then said, "I see you have everything under control. What are we going to do with them?"

"We were hoping you would know," Killar said. "I guess we should kill them? We could hide the bodies, maybe."

Flynn glared at Killar. Dammit, if he was going to be murdered he wanted it to be by someone with a little more conviction than 'I guess we should kill them'. He turned his attention to Zadel. "Zadel!" Flynn said, looking to him. "Is this true? Are you really part of this?"

Zadel couldn't meet his eyes as he said, "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Flynn. I wish I could explain."

"Oh, don't worry," Yuri said. "We've already figured out your whole little scheme."

"You have?" Joplin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right," Flynn said. "Thanks to Lady Estellise, we know all about that land you've got your sights on in Hypionia."

There was a long pause. The council members slowly started looking to each other. Finally, Reyes asked, "What land?"

"What - the land you're after in Hypionia!" Yuri said. "The land with the gold!"

"Gold?" Killar asked, his attention piqued. "What gold? There's gold? Who's got gold?"

"Which one of you is hiding the gold?" Morell asked.

"I don't believe it," Yuri said with a laugh. He looked to Zadel and said, "You mean you didn't even tell them?"

Zadel frowned. "Tell them what?"

"There's no point trying to hide it," Flynn said. "We know perfectly well that you killed Borden and Emmery because they were the two other potential heirs to an untapped gold mine in Hypionia. You had them killed so _you_ could inherit it, and then framed it on me to kill two birds with one stone."

"Is this true, Zadel?" Hallward asked, glaring at him.

Zadel slowly shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. The Zadel family has never had anything to do with Hypionia."

Yuri stared at him. "But… what?"

Flynn frowned in confusion. "If this wasn't about the gold… why the hell did you kill Borden?"

"I didn't decide," Zadel said. "The rest of them picked him."

Flynn looked around the rest of the group expectantly. "Well?"

There was another long pause while all the council members exchanged nervous looks. Killar suddenly became fascinated with his fingernails. Hallward was the one who first spoke up, "Well… he was always _really_ annoying."

"Quite bossy," Joplin added.

"And don't forget," Killar said, "he always swiped the Gouda from the cheese tray!"

Flynn and Yuri stared at them in silence. How was he supposed to react to that? Borden had been murdered because of a _cheese tray?_ It was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, and he suddenly felt very grateful that Emmery had never decided to murder him over his math skills, because suddenly that didn't seem out of character for the Council.

"So that's what this is all about?" Flynn said. "You didn't like my politics, so you killed a man because he took the cheese you wanted."

Morell frowned. "Well, of course it sounds bad when you put it like _that_."

"This is _your_ fault," Hallward said. "We wouldn't have had to go to such extremes if you hadn't accepted the position of commandant! After what happened with Alexei, I don't know what Ioder was thinking in promoting another commoner."

"You guys are nuts," Yuri said. "Flynn's the best commandant you've had in decades. Everyone who wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouths loves him."

"Is that supposed to endear us to him?" Joplin asked. She snorted and added, "A king among street rats is still just a rat."

"Enough of this," Reyes said. "We need to figure out what we're going to do with them."

"We don't have much choice," Joplin said. "We have to kill them. Slit their throats and bury the bodies in the garden or something."

"I don't think my mother will like that," Zadel said.

"You cowards!" Yuri said. "You want to kill me? Untie me and I'll fight you like a real man."

"Yuri, don't antagonize the people who want to kill us," Flynn said in a low voice.

"What difference does it make?" Yuri replied. "They're already planning on killing us."

Flynn flexed his arms against the ropes, but they wouldn't give. There had to be a way out of this, because dammit he wasn't going to get killed by a bunch of bumbling nobles who didn't even know what they were doing.

"Don't worry," Yuri whispered. "I have a plan."

"I'd love to hear it." If he could get his arms away from his sides, maybe he could loosen the ropes enough to wriggle out. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that without getting shot or stabbed first, but it was better than sitting here and doing nothing.

"It's… in the works," Yuri muttered.

"Let's just get this over with," Reyes said, grabbing the very same knife that he'd taken from Yuri.

He stood by the chair and Flynn kicked his leg out, smashing Reyes in the knee. Reyes grunted and stumbled back, and Flynn smiled in satisfaction.

"Dammit!" Reyes said, rubbing his knee. He came back, standing to the side and out of reach of Flynn's legs. He grabbed a fistful of Flynn's hair, and then yanked his head back to expose his throat.

"You really want to do this?" Flynn grunted, glaring at Reyes from the corner of his eye. "Right now you're only an accomplice to murder. You really want an actual murder charge?" His heart hammered in his throat and his Adam's apple bobbed. He wasn't going to let these assholes see that he was scared.

"Are you guys complete morons?" Yuri said. "If you murder Flynn, you'll just turn him into a martyr."

"It's too late to worry about that," Joplin said. "Do it, Reyes. This is no different from killing Borden."

"We just hired an assassin for that. We didn't actually _do_ it…" Reyes' hand shook. Flynn could see in his eyes that he wasn't a killer. Oh, he could hire an assassin no problem, because then the messy business remained just that - a business transaction. But to actually slash a throat himself...

Yuri thrashed around, trying in vain to free himself. "I swear, if you hurt him I will track you down and rip you to pieces!"

"What's the hold up?" Killar asked, looking around nervously. "Come on, I want to get this over with."

Flynn turned his eyes to Zadel. It was his last hope, because he couldn't believe that the man's friendship and support had been entirely faked. Zadel, though, refused to meet his eyes, instead staring at the wall. In a stiff voice, he said, "Do it, Reyes."

"You fucking bastards!" Yuri roared. "I'll kill you!"

Reyes nodded and licked his lips. The blade trembled. The edge touched Flynn's throat. Flynn closed his eyes and took a long, shaking breath, bracing himself.

The door slammed open, and a voice loud enough to fill a stadium thundered through the small room. "Nobody move!"

Flynn's eyes shot open and Reyes dropped the knife in surprise. Framed in the doorway was Leblanc, a handful of knights behind him.

"Y-you can't be in here!" Killar shouted.

"Yeah!" Yuri said with a relieved laugh. "I told you I had a plan, Flynn."

"This was your plan?" Flynn said, still feeling a bit light-headed from his brush with having his throat slit. "Trusting Leblanc to show up?"

Leblanc strode into the room. "I received a tip that a pair of wanted fugitives were going to break into Lord Zadel's mansion, and responded accordingly."

"That's right!" Morell said. "These men broke in and attempted to attack us! We only barely managed to subdue them!"

Leblanc gave him an annoyed look. "I think I heard quite enough."

"That's right, I say!" Adecor said. "We heard you admit your intention to murder Commandant Flynn!"

Boccos added, "In addition to stating you hired an assassin to kill Count Borden."

"No!" Hallward said. "This is all a big misunderstanding! We're being framed!"

"Right," Flynn said. "I'm sure you lot know all about framing."

"Arrest these men," Leblanc said to his squad. "And untie the commandant."

The knights jumped to action, rounding up the whining conspirators. Adecor and Boccos came to Flynn's side and used a knife to cut through the rope.

"Yuri," Flynn said, "you realize this means you owe your life to the Schwann Brigade now."

Yuri stared at him with slowly dawning horror. "Aw, crap."

"I say, we saved your lives!"

When the ropes were cut through, Yuri shook them off and stood. "Damn. I am never going to live this down, am I?"

"How did you know they were going to come?" Flynn asked, standing up himself. He put one hand to his throat, where he had a small cut. It stung slightly, but only a tiny bead of blood had trickled out.

"I had a feeling Estelle's message was fake," Yuri said, watching the Council members get led out of the room in handcuffs with a satisfied smile. "It didn't contain any of her little smiley faces."

Realization smacked Flynn in the face, right before his own hand smacked himself in the face. "Of course. I should have realized that."

"I asked Hanks to go tell Leblanc where we were going to be, because I thought it might be a trap."

"You should have told me," Flynn said.

"But then you would have refused to show up at all, and then we wouldn't have gotten Leblanc in the room to hear these bastards confess."

Flynn frowned. "I guess so… Still, that was a very close call."

Yuri grimaced. "I know. Sorry. You alright?"

"Yeah. No harm done."

"Alright, so… that's it!" Yuri broke into a grin. "We caught the guys. The knights have proof it wasn't you. You're off the hook!"

A massive weight slowly rose off his shoulders. Yuri was right, he _was_ off the hook. As soon as Leblanc reported what he'd overheard, Flynn would be pardoned and the murder charge dropped. There was a light at the end of this tunnel, and he'd found it.

"Excuse me, sir," Leblanc said, coming back. "Unfortunately, your charges have not officially been dropped yet, and there is still the matter of you breaking out of jail. I'm afraid I have to arrest you, too."

"Are you serious?" Yuri said, his eye darting to the window.

"Yes, that's fine," Flynn said quickly before Yuri could try to make a break for it. "I knew the consequences of my actions when I took them. The most important thing right now is to locate Lady Estellise. I have reason to believe these men have kidnapped her."

Leblanc's eyes went wide. "The princess? Yes, of course! We will make that our utmost priority. Come with me back to the castle and rest assured that we will locate her quickly."

Flynn nodded, and didn't protest when Leblanc handcuffed him. Why should he? He knew he wasn't in any serious trouble. The killers had been caught, and he could finally get back to his normal life.

* * *

The castle jail cells were full of Council members, but an alternative arrangement was made for Yuri and Flynn. Thus, Yuri was introduced to the concept of house arrest. A pair of guards stood outside the entrance to Flynn's home, and he and Flynn were under orders not to leave until the trial tomorrow afternoon. Ordinarily Yuri wouldn't mind this too much, but the thought of Estelle in danger somewhere in the city while he sat tight and did nothing drove him crazy.

"Would you stop pacing around?" Flynn said, looking up from the couch. As soon as they arrived, he'd gone straight to the bathroom and taken a long bath, and then re-emerged in his pyjamas. Yuri didn't think he'd seen Flynn so happy to be home in a long time.

"I can't," Yuri said, pausing by the window and looking out at the city. "How can you not be nervous? Estelle could be in trouble. I hate not knowing where she is." Horrible memories of what Alexei had done to her the last time she'd been kidnapped crossed his mind. This was nothing like that. She'd been captured by idiot Council members, not a megalomaniac abusing her powers.

Flynn sighed. "Of course I'm worried, but there's nothing we can do for her right now. I'm itching to grab my sword and run out the room after her, but that's not going to work. I have to trust in my knights to find her. Chances are she's merely locked up in one of the conspirator's houses."

"Yeah, but shouldn't they have had time to search everyone's houses by now?" Yuri said, turning and leaning against the windowsill.

"Not necessarily," Flynn said. "These houses are extremely large, remember."

Yuri sighed in frustration. At the very least, they weren't being kept in the dark. Leblanc had come up a couple of hours ago to report that they'd interrogated all the conspirators, but none of them would give any information on Estelle. "I still can't believe none of them knew anything about that land," Yuri said.

"Yeah," Flynn said. "After all that work Lady Estellise went through to piece it all together, and it turns out it was over a stupid cheese tray."

"I just don't _get_ nobles," Yuri said.

Flynn sighed. "Me neither."

"So you say while lounging it your fancy pyjamas in your formal suite in the castle."

Flynn frowned. "I may work alongside nobles, but don't think for one second that I am one of them. They killed him over a _cheese tray_. I just can't get over that."

"But why did they kill Emmery?" Yuri asked. "If it wasn't about the gold?"

Flynn shrugged. "Maybe she knew too much? Maybe she figured out what they were up to? Who knows. Hopefully the knights will get more information out of these guys."

"And what happens if they pull enough strings to get off with just a slap on the wrist?" Yuri crossed his arms and scowled. After all these bastards had put him and Flynn through, they'd better get the punishment they deserve.

"That won't happen," Flynn said, shaking his head. "After all, their crimes were against fellow nobles and the commandant. I know it sounds terrible, but that sort of thing can't get brushed under the rug as easily as crimes against commoners."

"That's not what I wanted to hear."

"I know. Sorry. I'm trying to change things, but that's how it still is right now. In any case, between me pushing for conviction from the Knights, and His Majesty's influence, they'll definitely be put away for a long time."

"That's something at least."

There was a knock at the door, and then one of the guards opened it and said, "Excuse me, sir, you have a visitor. She says she is a friend of Yuri Lowell's."

Flynn glanced over to Yuri, who shrugged. To the guard, Flynn said, "Let her in."

The guard stepped aside, and let Judith into the room. She closed the door behind her and looked at them with a smile. "Well, looks like you managed to catch your killer."

"All seven of them," Flynn said. "Although there's still the issue of the actual assassin. But, since he's part of the Union, I feel like pursuing him isn't worth the effort or potential fight between the guilds and the empire. Besides, he _did_ do what he could to help us catch his client."

"Wait, seven?" Yuri said. "I thought there were only six?"

"Zadel implicated his butler. Apparently the butler was the one we chased after in Mantaic."

"So… the butler did it?" Yuri asked.

"Part of it, at least."

"Man, Estelle is going to love this."

"What?"

"Never mind. Judy," Yuri said, "I thought you were heading back to Dahngrest?"

"I was going to," she said, sitting down next to Flynn, "but then I got an idea and went to Halure. Rita and I found the archives of all the books saved from Aspio, and we did some digging to find any mention of Zadel."

"Did you find him?" Yuri asked.

Judy frowned. "I found something alright. We _did_ find the name of the family who used to rule the land around Baction. But… it's not Zadel."

Flynn shot her a look. "What do you mean it's not Zadel?"

"I mean it isn't Zadel," Judy said. "It was written in an old language, so we had to find someone to translate for us, because the name starts with the same sound. That's how we found it - it was listed next to Zadel."

"So what is it?" Yuri asked.

"Xavier," Judy said.

Yuri frowned. "But… that starts with an X."

"Right," Judy said, "but it's the same sound. In the older language, they were both written with a Z."

Flynn pursed his lips. "I don't know any Xaviers," he said. "As far as I know, there's nobody with that name in the current ranks of nobility."

"Damn," Yuri said. "They probably died out generations ago. So… it looks like this gold thing was a complete bust. None of the conspirators even knew anything about it."

"So it would seem," Flynn said. "I suppose we should be thankful, though. It inadvertently led us to the killers, even if they turned out to be much pettier than we believed. Come to think of it," he turned to Yuri, "you never did tell me exactly how you realized we were dealing with a conspiracy."

"Oh. Yeah." Yuri thought back to where he'd been when it occurred to him, and didn't really want to share the details with Flynn. "It's not important."

"Why can't you tell me?"

Yuri shifted uncomfortably. "Well… it's just… it's kind of dumb."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "After everything we've been through together, you think anything you can tell me will seem significantly more dumb than any of the other crap you've pulled?"

Yuri scowled and crossed his arms. "Alright, alright. I just… I was digging in a dried creek bed to find water - water to save your life, I might add - when I dug too deep and found a bunch of worms. They were all writhing around in the dirt and I thought, hey, they kind of look like rat tails. I was a little delirious, let me remind you." He shrugged. "It just made me think of this thing Ted told me about rats getting all knotted together to make a big rat monster sort of thing."

"Oh, I've heard of those," Judy said. "It's called a king of rats." She frowned and added, "Though to be honest, I've seen rat nests. They're very clean creatures, actually. I doubt anything like that could happen naturally. My guess is that rat kings were invented by some incredibly bored rat catchers with too much time and too many rats on their hands."

"I don't know about any of that," Yuri said. "It just reminded me of the thing, and I thought, if a bunch of rats can be all tied together, why not a bunch of nobles?"

"That makes sense," Flynn said. "Though you're right, Yuri. It _is_ a bit weird."

Yuri just glared at him.

"I suppose we should thank our brush with death in the desert for leading us to this breakthrough."

"Good, I'd hate to think that was a waste of time," Yuri said.

"I'm afraid I have to get going," Judy said, getting up. "The knights said I wasn't allowed to stay too long. You are technically under arrest right now."

"That's fine," Flynn said. "Thank you for coming all this way just to give us the information."

"Any time. See you around." She gave a little wave and left the room.

Flynn stood up. "I think I'm going to bed. You can sleep on the couch. Be ready to go to trial tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah," Yuri said with a frown. In some respects, he was actually glad to be going to a trial. In all his years of getting arrested, he had never once seen a day in court. The Knights just never bothered giving trials to commoner offenders like him - they were only for nobles who deserved the chance to defend themselves. Flynn said that in the future, all people would get a trial before being sentenced, and if he was getting one now, even if it was just in conjunction with the commandant, he felt it was a step in the right direction. Of course, he wasn't _completely_ happy, because there was still the matter of him going to jail. "Are you worried at all?"

"Not particularly," Flynn said. "Now that they've dropped the murder charge, the worst that could happen is a couple weeks of jail in punishment for breaking out. As inconvenient as that is, after spending the last month on the run for murder it sounds like a nice vacation."

"Yeah," Yuri said. "You could probably use a vacation and get a little break from work."

Flynn stiffened, his expression going dark for a moment. He hadn't mentioned his outburst in the desert since it happened, and Yuri was pretty sure he wouldn't have brought it up at all if he hadn't thought they were going to die. Yuri wanted to help him, but he didn't know what else to say that he hadn't already said. Once Estelle was back, he'd get her to talk to him. Estelle was good at these sort of things.

"Goodnight," Flynn said, walking past him.

"Yeah. Night." When Flynn was gone, Yuri stretched out on the couch. Compared to the hard wooden 'beds' in the jail cells, this was a pretty good deal. He could get used to house arrest.

* * *

As expected, the trial went well. With the conspirators behind bars, everyone treated it as more of a formality than a serious sentencing. Every knight they passed, and even the judge himself, apologized to Flynn for the trouble. At the end of the day, Flynn was officially cleared of the murder charge and sentenced to ten days in jail for breaking out of prison and illegally stowing away on a ship.

Yuri was more than a little annoyed when the judge turned to him after sentencing Flynn and said, "And you, Yuri Lowell, are to serve one year-"

"What?!"

"-for the additional crimes of escaping knight custody in Mantaic and holding the commandant hostage."

"Oh, you have to be kidding me," Yuri said. "Flynn escaped from knight custody with me, but you only gave him ten days!" Why was he even surprised? Of course he'd get a harsher sentence, because it was him and this was just how his life always worked out.

"According to this report," the judge said, looking down at his notes, "Commandant Flynn was forcibly removed from knight custody after you held him hostage."

"Excuse me," Flynn said, holding his hand up slightly. "I'm not pressing charges for Yuri kidnapping me."

Yuri crossed his arms and grumbled. "I didn't even kidnap you."

The judge raised an eyebrow. "You're not?"

"No," Flynn said. "Yuri's hostage charge was against me personally, not the knights, so it's my right to drop it."

"Very well," the judge said, making a note on the paper with a pen. "In that case, Mr. Lowell, your sentence will be twenty days, to account for the additional charge of escaping knight custody."

"Fine," Yuri said, while Flynn gave him an apologetic look. He should have known better than to think he was going to get off as well as Flynn did.

Knights escorted them back to the castle and toward the cells. "What happened to house arrest?" Yuri asked. "I was starting to like that."

"The conspirators have been moved to a more secure prison," one of the knights explained. "We already had a witness hear them admit their guilt, so we were able to get their sentencing out of the way quickly this morning."

"Oh good," Yuri said. "So it seems my old jail cell awaits."

"What about Lady Estellise?" Flynn asked. "Have you had any luck in locating her?"

The knight frowned. "No, Commandant. I'm sorry."

"Dammit," Yuri said. He couldn't afford to break out of jail again, but damn if it wasn't tempting. He wanted to grab his sword and go after Estelle right now, but twenty days in jail was hard enough to deal with without doubling it by breaking out again.

The knights led them down to the old familiar jail cells. It had been an entire year since Yuri had last been arrested, but everything was the same. He'd once considered leaving a pillow and blanket down here for how often he was arrested, and now that he was here again he regretted not doing so. Flynn was put into the cell next to his, the doors were locked, and they were left alone.

Flynn sighed. "I suppose there's nothing to do now but sit and wait."

"You only have ten days, you lucky bastard," Yuri said, flopping down on the familiar wooden bed. He rested his head under his hands and stared at the mouldy ceiling.

"Ten days," Flynn responded. Yuri couldn't see him, but could picture him getting into a similar position on the bed in his cell. "Ten days and then I'll be commandant again."

"What's your first order of business going to be?"

"Firing Peel," Flynn said.

Yuri laughed. "That bastard deserves it. I guess he's not as bad as, say, Cumore, but that's not saying much."

"True," Flynn said. "But, he nearly killed me. I don't care if you think a suspect has lost you a million gald, you can't kill them on your own. You must arrest them and let their punishment be carried out by the law."

"Yeah…" Yuri said half-heartedly. If he enthusiastically agreed, he'd feel a bit hypocritical. He didn't like talking about this, so he changed the subject. "It's kind of embarrassing that your life got so screwed up by such a bunch of bozos, isn't it? I mean, those guys didn't seem to be criminal masterminds."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Flynn said. "Let's see if I can piece this together. Morell lives near me, so he probably took care of the shirt. I recall bumping into Reyes the day of the meeting. He likely had a chance to steal my knife then. I'm not entirely sure about Killar, but someone had to have met with the assassin when he got to Zaphias to deliver the knife to him, so that was possibly him, or maybe Hallward. As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm guessing Zadel was the mastermind. He seemed t be the most on top of things, and they looked to him for guidance. We already figured out that Joplin gave me a stack of papers to keep me from having an alibi."

"She must have been the one to hire the assassin in Dahngrest, too," Yuri said. "She's the only woman, after all, and Estelle confirmed she was out of town at the right time. The guy with her must have been Killar or Hallward or one of the others."

"Right," Flynn said. "Although, come to think of it, didn't Garen's note say something about the woman smelling like cinnamon?"

"Oh, yeah," Yuri said. He honestly didn't like thinking about Garen and the note too much, because it was a bit embarrassing. "Well, according to Estelle, Rita said she used to work with chemicals, right? Maybe she still dabbles and one of those gave her a cinnamony scent."

"I can't think of anything else," Flynn said.

Yuri shifted and tried to get comfortable. "I still think it's weird that they killed Emmery."

"Yeah. I feel bad for her. It seems she got caught up in something she wanted no part of. She's not so different from me."

"Except she's much better at math," Yuri added with a smirk, although he knew Flynn couldn't see it. He trusted that Flynn would know it was there, just like he knew Flynn was now rolling his eyes at him.

"Yes, Yuri. There's that."


	14. The Rat Catcher

Yuri woke up in the middle of the night to a jangle of keys. It was dark and he was half-asleep, but he was certain he saw a person walk past his cell. A low female voice said, "Commandant? Commandant, the emperor wishes to speak with you."

Flynn took a couple of seconds to reply. Yuri pictured him slowly waking up and looking around, forgetting for a moment where he was and why he was here. He yawned, and said, "Right. Of course."

The woman unlocked the cell and Yuri heard footsteps walk inside. Yuri yawned and stretched a bit, trying to go back to sleep. He briefly wondered what Ioder wanted with Flynn at this time of night, but it was probably some important empire business that Yuri wanted no part in. He closed his eyes and daydreamed about how much nicer this would be if they could continue house arrest.

Flynn stared to say, "What's-" and then broke into a cough. This was followed by the _thump_ of a body hitting the floor, and Yuri's eyes flashed open.

"Flynn?"

All he got in a response was a muffled groan. Yuri sat upright, all thoughts of sleep gone from his mind. He jumped up and ran to the bars of his cell. "Hey, Flynn? You alright?"

"Mmm…mmph!"

Yuri's muscles tensed. He didn't know what was happening, but Flynn was in trouble. "Hey!" he shouted, trying to alert the guards. "We need help down here! Hey!" He grabbed the door to the cell and tugged, but he'd learned ages ago that this was useless. He banged on the door, and the iron rattled. All he could hear from the cell next door was muffled grunting. What the hell was going on? That woman who had come was bad news, and he was stuck in this rotten cell when Flynn was in trouble. Dammit, he needed to get out of here!

He _could_ , actually. All he needed to pick the lock on this cell was a pin, and the pressure in his boot reminded him that he'd slipped Judy's pin in there back in Desier. He reached his hand into his boot and fished out the pin. He was in such a rush his hands shook and he missed the keyhole a couple of times. It was hard to focus when the only thing on his mind was that it sounded like Flynn was struggling to breathe.

The moment the lock was undone, he slammed the door open so hard it swung around and hit the bars with a deafening clang. By the time that happened, Yuri had already grabbed the unlocked door of the neighbouring cell and flung it open. He took half a second to see Flynn lying motionlessly on the ground, his eyes wide with panic, while an elderly women crouched over him with one hand covering his mouth and the other pinching his nose. Yuri darted forward and tackled the women, throwing her off Flynn.

An elderly woman wasn't high on his threat list, so he checked on Flynn first. "Flynn! Are you alright? What's wrong?" He was breathing again, but he hadn't moved a muscle.

Flynn stared at him and groaned, letting out a stream of unintelligible syllables.

Yuri frowned. "What?"

Irritated, Flynn tried, "Ih-ee ah-ee oh-en!"

Yuri noticed a small pouch on the ground, which spilled a bit of yellow-ish dust. Understanding shot through him. "Billybally pollen?"

"Uh!" Flynn said, which Yuri took as a 'yes'. It explained why he couldn't move at least.

"Dammit." Yuri turned back to the woman, but she had already gotten to her feet and run to the door. Yuri jumped up just in time for her to slam the door shut and lock it again. "Get back here!" Yuri roared.

"Oh afer er!" Flynn said.

"Give me a sec!" Yuri grabbed Judy's pin and struggled to pick the lock once again. "Who even is that lady?"

"Ah-el uh-er," Flynn said.

Yuri was certain he hadn't been this hard to understand when he'd gotten hit by the pollen back on Ehmead Hill. "What?"

"Is uh-er! Ississ Ah-el!"

The lock clicked, just as Flynn's words clicked in his mind. "Zadel's mother? Mrs. Zadel?"

"Uh!"

Yuri wanted to ask what the hell she had to do with anything, but she was already getting away. "Stay there, I'm going after her."

Flynn didn't have much choice in the matter, being paralyzed, so Yuri took off without another word. As he ran past the front desk, he spotted the guard lying slumped on the table. He'd bet his sword the guard was paralyzed too, but he didn't stop to check. He ran up out of the jail and into the deserted hallways. Mrs. Zadel ran down the hall ahead of him, surprisingly fast for her age. He didn't know what Zadel's mother had to do with anything, but she'd tried to kill Flynn and that was reason enough for him to hunt her down. He could only guess she was trying to take revenge for her son or something like that.

Yuri tore around a corner and into the main hall, just in time to see the guards opening the door for Mrs. Zadel. Of course, they didn't know she was anything other than a councilman's mother. Why wouldn't they let her through?

"Stop her!" Yuri shouted, powering forward.

"Huh?" The guards looked around in surprise.

Yuri paid them no heed. They'd already opened the door, so he flew right past them and down the steps. "The commandant's hurt!" Yuri shouted over his shoulder. "You'd better go help him!"

The guards were torn, but evidently they decided that going to Flynn's aid was more important than chasing after a criminal who wasn't wanted for anything dangerous. They turned and ran back into the castle, leaving Yuri to chase after the woman. He had just about caught up with her when she climbed into a carriage sitting in front of the castle. The young man sitting at the reins whipped it to life, and it took off. Yuri leapt, trying to jump on it before it got away, but he fell short. His fingers scraped the wooden back and then he landed hard on his knees with a grunt.

"Damn," he whispered, getting back to his feet. He was already out of breath from his race through the castle, but he needed to catch up to that carriage so he took off. Besides, he only had limited time before other knights got alerted to his jailbreak and came after him. Luckily, at this time of night the royal quarter was all but deserted. The carriage got far ahead of him, but it was the only one on the street so he kept running.

By the time the carriage pulled to a stop in front of a small - comparatively for the royal quarter - Yuri was panting hard and the muscles in his legs felt like jelly after sprinting all the way here from the castle. They were on the edge of the royal quarter now, where the homes were more akin to the fancier houses wealthy commoners might own rather than the extravagant mansions the rest of the nobility lived in. He saw the carriage driver hop down and open the door, and the woman climbed out and hurried into the house. Yuri paused next to a wall, leaning against it for a moment to catch his breath. The carriage driver got back up on his vehicle and drove away, but Yuri wasn't concerned with him right now. Mrs. Zadel was the one who had tried to murder Flynn, so she was the only one he cared about catching.

With a bit of energy regained, he walked at a brisk pace toward the house. He didn't have a weapon, but he didn't like the idea of stabbing an elderly woman anyway. She'd only overpowered Flynn by knocking him out first, so he was pretty sure he could take her with his bare hands. He tried the door, which was unlocked. Yuri stepped into a living room and looked around cautiously. It smelled like dust in here, which almost managed to mask the sickening aroma of sweet flowers. A thin layer of dust covered the mantle, but fresh flowers in a vase on the coffee table. Who the hell lived here? It didn't seem like anyone did permanently, based on the sheets covering the armchairs by the window.

Across the room, a chink of light bled from a door hanging a few inches open. From this room came the rattle of a drawer opening. Yuri stilled his breathing and crept toward the door, thankful the floor was covered in soft carpet that hid his footsteps, unlike the loud marble most nobles preferred. He paused outside the room, running his plan through his head. He was going to burst in there, tackle the old woman, and drag her back to the castle. Yuri braced himself, and then slammed the door open.

He burst into a small office, but he didn't see the old woman. "What-"

_Crack!_

A wooden board smashed him in the back of his head. Stars whizzed across his vision and dropped to his knees. The room spun in circles and a deafening rush filled his ears. The world went dark and fuzzy for what felt like a few seconds, until his eyes flashed open again and he realized at couple of minutes must have passed.

He knew it had been at least a couple of minutes, because he was in a new position. He was slumped on the floor by the desk, while a tiny gnome with a sledgehammer took up residence in his skull and went to work on his brain. It took only a couple of seconds to remember what he'd been trying to do, and then he jumped to action. He didn't get far, because as soon as he tried to move his arm, he realized he was handcuffed to the leg of the desk.

"Oh, come on!" He jerked his hand in aggravation. "I'm getting pretty sick of handcuffs." He didn't have long to dwell on it, because there were two scents in the room that took priority in his mind. The first was the mild tang of cinnamon, which was coming from a vase of flowers on the desk above his head. The other was gasoline.

He got to his knees and peered over the desk. Across the room, Mrs. Zadel carefully poured gasoline into the carpet. The desk drawers were all open, the paper contents already drenched in gasoline. Yuri had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going. He'd always expected burning horribly _after_ dying, not causing it. He rested his hands on the desk, and then quickly pulled them away when they came back wet. He frantically rubbed them on the carpet to try to get the gasoline off him. This was going to be difficult enough to get out of without getting the gasoline on himself as well.

Mrs. Zadel paused and looked up. "You shouldn't have followed me. I had no reason to kill you."

"But you had reason to kill Flynn. What, trying to punish him for getting your little boy in trouble?"

"That upstart commoner had it coming," Mrs. Zadel snapped. "Don't get me started on my worthless son. Everything was coming together until he and his idiot friends bungled their chance to get rid of you."

Yuri nodded. The pieces of the puzzle started falling together. "It was you all along, wasn't it? You're the rat catcher who tied all their little tails together. I should have known those petty idiots couldn't have come up with this whole plan. You dragged your son into this and then arranged those dumb nobles to do all the dirty work so you could keep your nose clean."

"I should have done it all myself," she said. "The Council these days is a joke. Squabbling over cheese trays? Allowing murderous brutes like Ragou and Borden run amok? Listening to upstart commoners like Flynn? In my day, the Council had _honour_. It's a disgrace."

"You know, it's funny," Yuri said. "I've got a friend who's about your age, and he doesn't seem to think the 'good old days' were that good at all. 'Course, that's probably because he's from the lower quarter. Funny how that works." He scanned the room, looking for a way out. He'd dropped Judy's pin on the way out of the jail, so he wasn't sure how to get out of this handcuff. He tried lifting the desk to slip the ring under it, but it was made of solid wood and with one hand he couldn't get it more than a centimetre off the ground, and not for more than a couple of seconds. He had to hope that the knights had seen him take off after her and would come barging in to save the day again. As much as he hated having to get rescued by the knights, it beat burning to a crisp, along with all the evidence. All he could do now was try to keep her talking and buy himself some time. "So if you didn't kill Borden over a cheese tray, why'd you pick him? Let me guess, you didn't like his hair cut?"

Mrs. Zadel snorted. "Don't be petty. Borden was trying to take what is rightfully mine. I would have had him killed anyway, even if his death didn't get rid of Flynn too."

"What's rightfully… you aren't talking about the gold in Hypionia, are you?"

"What else would I be talking about, you stupid boy?"

Yuri frowned. "I don't see how you figure that's 'rightfully yours'. My sources say it should go to either Borden, Emmery, or some extinct group called Xavier. Zadel doesn't figure into it at all."

Mrs. Zadel finished off the last of her jug of gasoline, which Yuri took as a bad sign. "The Xaviers aren't extinct, boy," she said. "At least, not yet. My father had no sons so when I married the name was lost, but we're not all dead yet! As the last living Xavier, that land is rightfully mine. I planned it all, right here from my family home. The assassin, the group of fools to set up Flynn, I even had my own personal butler make a trip to Mantaic to kill Emmery, just to ensure she had no chance to make her own claim to the land. It was all coming together until that stupid little princess went sticking her nose where it didn't belong."

Yuri wasn't looking at her anymore. He'd given up trying to unlock the cuff somehow, and was now trying to smear as much gasoline on his wrist as he could. It was a dangerous gamble, because getting it on himself would mean catching fire that much quicker. But it was slippery, and maybe if he lubricated enough he could slide his wrist out of the cuff. As a last resort, he could try breaking his thumb. It would hurt like a bitch, but it was better than burning to death. "Where _is_ Estelle, anyway? The rest of the clowns didn't seem to know."

"Of course not," Mrs. Zadel said. "You don't tell your pawns where you've stashed the enemy's queen."

"If you hurt her-"

Mrs Zadel laughed. "What? You're going to kill me? That will be difficult to do when you're charred to a crisp."

"You're off your rocker, grams," Yuri said. He gritted his teeth and pushed the cuff against his hand, trying to pry it off. Even if the gasoline to loosen it, he still couldn't get it off.

"Perhaps. But tomorrow, I'll be alive, and you and all the evidence incriminating me will be burned to ash, so let's see who comes out on top." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a book of matches.

"Dammit!" Yuri shouted, rattling the cuff as if he could shake it off with the power of his rage. He felt like he was burning up with fury, but that only reminded him that very soon he would be burning up with fire.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't think I'm going to bother going after Flynn again. I really was hoping to kill that fool, but it will be too much trouble to do so now." She struck the match, stepped out of the room, and tossed it to the floor. The gasoline-soaked carpet went up with a roar. "Goodbye, Yuri Lowell."

"Get back here!" Yuri shouted, getting to his feet. The movement made his head spin and he had to lean awkward to the side because he could bring his cuffed hand higher than the desk leg, but he wasn't going to die sitting down.

The fire spread around the room along the circle of gasoline, surrounding him in a searing ring. The carpet between him and the fire was dry, but it was only a matter of time before the fire spread through at a normal pace. Once it hit the gasoline-drenched desk, it would go up in seconds. Yuri didn't have much more hope for his own body, with his hands and arms now covered in the stuff.

"Hey!" Yuri shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hello!?" There was the issue of pride, and Yuri hated to think of having to be rescued, but when he weighed how much wounding his pride would hurt compared to how much getting lit on fire would hurt, shouting for help came out as the better of two evils. "Help! Hello! Hey! Is anybody going to notice that this house is on fire!? Hel-" he broke off in a cough, and then sunk down to his knees. Maybe standing up at been a bad idea. It was marginally cooler near the floor, too. He coughed heavily as smoke filled the air. Dammit, dammit, _dammit_ that bitch was getting away and he needed to go after her! She'd orchestrated this whole rotten affair, and he was the only one who knew.

He coughed again and pulled the neck of his shirt over his mouth and nose to try to keep the smoke out. The room was so hot now he thought he'd take baking in the desert again over this. No one could hear him shout, the fire was getting closer, and he was running out of options. He grabbed his thumb and gritted his teeth. He was going to have to break it to get out the cuffs, and then figure out how to get through the ring of fire after that. He closed his eyes and steeled himself, reminding himself that as much as a broken bone hurt, burning to death would hurt more.

He was just about to make the snap when someone shouted, "Yuri!"

His eyes flashed open and he jerked his head up to peer over the desk. He looked just in time to see Estelle throw a soaking wet sheet on the fire in front of the door, smothering it to make a path.

"Estelle!?" Yuri shouted incredulously. He didn't think he'd ever been happier to see her.

She ran across the room in seconds. "Yuri, are you hurt? Can you walk?"

"I'm fine, just a little tied up at the moment." He shook his wrist meaningfully.

"I'll get that off!" She crouched and grabbed his wrist. "Uh, how do you get this off?" she asked, fumbling with the lock.

"You need a-" he paused cough, and then continued, "a key. I was going to break my thumb and slip out." It would still be a tight squeeze, but with the added lubrication of the gasoline and all the sweat pouring down his arms from the overbearing heat, he thought he could make it.

"No, don't do that! I'll lift the desk." She stood and dug her fingers under the desk.

"Estelle, I don't know if you can-"

"You push it up, and be ready to pull the cuff out!"

It was worth a shot. He gripped the bottom lip and pushed up, while Estelle pulled with a strained expression. Her arms shook and they got it about an inch off the ground. Yuri pulled the other cuff out from under the leg, and it hit the ground again with a thud.

"Thanks a lot." He jumped to his feet and grabbed the desk to stabilize himself. In all the smoke, fire, and panic from being so close to a fiery death, he'd almost forgotten about his recent head injury. He was about to take off for the exit, but stopped and looked in the open desk drawers. Sitting there, soaked in gas and waiting to go up like a candle was all the evidence they needed to prove Mrs. Zadel had been behind this whole thing. He stopped and pulled as many papers from the drawers as he could. The gas had smeared some of the writing, but enough of it was still legible. Just glancing over it, he saw mentions of money transactions to Dahngrest. Flynn was going to love this.

"Do you have everything you need?" Estelle asked, hovering worriedly by the desk. She covered her face with her arm and coughed.

"Think so," Yuri said. He took two steps toward the exit before the sheet, dried out from the extreme heat, burst into flames. "Shit."

Flickering flames reflected in Estelle's wide eyes, glassy with built up tears from all the smoke. "Oh no, oh no, what do we do now?"

"Dammit, you should have gotten out when you could!" Yuri kicked the desk, which hurt his toe but made him feel mildly better. It distracted him for a second from the searing heat pressing closer and closer.

Estelle planted her hands on her hips. "What, and leave you behind to burn to death?"

"Better me than both of us! You shouldn't have-" he broke off into a coughing fit.

"It's ok," Estelle said, pulling him against her. The stack of papers in his hand crinkled between them and she rubbed his back until he stopped coughing. Tears flowed down his cheeks, but there was so much smoke in the room it wasn't helping much.

"I'm sorry," Yuri said, wrapping one arm around her. Getting himself killed was far from what he wanted, but he could deal with it. Getting Estelle killed trying to save him, though, was intolerable. Over Estelle's shoulder, he watched the fire edge toward them. The walls burned as well, and flames crept along the ceiling. He doubted they had more than a minute or two before the centre of the room, and them standing there, went up flames. Yuri had burned himself cooking several times, and he recalled just how searingly painful a small burn on his hands could be. He tried to picture how it was going to feel when his whole body caught fire, and then tried to stop. Why imagine it? He was going to feel it in real life soon. Maybe he should try to take deep breaths and let the smoke knock him out first.

"Hold tight," Estelle said softly, hugging him fiercely. Yuri squeezed her tightly, hoping to give her at least some comfort before the end. She was whispering something, but over the roar of the flames he couldn't make it out.

The room seemed to darken, even with the red glow of the fire all around them. The next thing Yuri knew, his feet left the ground as Estelle floated a few inches into the air, still gripping Yuri tightly to keep him from falling. Yuri looked around in shock. "Estelle, what-?"

"Sacred Penance!" Estelle shouted. A burst of golden light blasted out in all directions. It hit the wall and kept going, taking the old brick with it. They dropped to the ground and Estelle grabbed his hand. Yuri didn't need any further guidance, and sprinted toward the smashed wall. The blast of Estelle's arte had blown a hole right through the wall of fire, leaving them a path to the outside. They gripped each others' hands so tightly they were both at risk of losing circulation, and bolted out of the room without looking back. They didn't stop running until they reached the calm street.

The world was very cold and quiet after being in that burning office. Yuri could feel himself shaking slightly, from adrenaline and excitement and how overwhelmingly happy he was to not be dead. He wasn't dead! And Estelle wasn't either! His relief spilled out in the form of laughter, and he was quickly joined by Estelle. The pair of them laughed for a good minute, wiping tears from their eyes and taking deep gasps of the fresh, clear air.

When she could finally compose herself, Estelle said, "It's so good to see you, Yuri."

Yuri took a long, deep breath and coughed heavily, trying to get the lingering smoke out of his lungs. His eyes watered from both laughing and smoke, and he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Good to see you, too. Where did you come from?"

"I was in the basement," she said quickly. "I figured out that Zadel's butler was involved, but I guess he realized I figured it out. When Mrs. Zadel invited me to stay for tea, I thought it would be so rude and rather suspicious to turn it down, but…"

"Let me guess," Yuri said, his smile dropping. "It was drugged?"

"It must have been," Estelle said with a frown. "I had no idea Mrs. Zadel was involved in this too. I was on guard for Zadel, but I never expected I needed to use caution against his sweet old mother. Anyway, I woke up in the basement, but I couldn't get out. I'm actually starving, because I must have been down there for over a day. Then, just now, I smelled smoke and I heard your voice shouting for help, and I got this sudden surge of adrenaline and I kicked the door right down!"

"Wow! I'm impressed. Nicely done."

"Then I ran upstairs and saw the office burning, so I grabbed a sheet off one of the chairs, soaked it in the kitchen sink, and went to get you. Oh! Yuri, Zadel's butler is-"

"We know," Yuri said. "The butler, Zadel, and everyone else involved is already in jail." Everyone except Mrs. Zadel, that is, but there was no sign of her on the street. Wherever she was, she'd gotten enough of a head-start to disappear.

"Flynn is ok?" Estelle asked. "His trial was supposed to be today."

"Yeah," Yuri said. "He's currently serving a ten day sentence as punishment for breaking out of jail, but after that he's in the clear.

"Thank goodness," Estelle said, falling into Yuri's arms in a hug. Yuri wrapped one arm around her shoulders as she buried her face in his neck and mumbled, "I'm so upset with myself for getting captured…"

"Don't be," Yuri said. "If you hadn't gotten yourself locked up in that basement, I would have roasted in there." From the down the street, he heard ringing bells and running footsteps. Someone had noticed the fire by now, and the fire brigade was coming to put it out.

"We should get back to the castle," Estelle said, pulling out of the hug.

"Yeah. I've got a jail cell with my name on it," Yuri said with a forced grin.

Estelle frowned. "It's not fair that you have to go to jail for helping Flynn."

"It is what it is. I knew I'd get in trouble for it when I busted him out."

"Still…"

"Come on," Yuri said, wrapping an arm around her waist and starting down the street. "Let's go tell Flynn you're alright."


	15. A Piece of Cake

Sodia offered to bring Flynn his work to do from jail, but, after some deep consideration and some "don't be a damn idiot" from Yuri, he turned her down. He treated his ten days like a much deserved vacation. He couldn't remember the last time he got that much sleep.

It really wasn't fair that Flynn got less jail time than Yuri, and Flynn had half a mind to refuse to leave his cell until Yuri got let out, too. He knew Yuri would complain about him being stupid if he did, though, and a ten day vacation from responsibilities was all he would allow himself. As it was, he'd done everything in his power to ensure Yuri was given the same treatment he was. He made damn sure Yuri got the best prison food he had ever had, and Flynn was going to keep checking up on him to make sure this continued once he was alone down there.

It was Sodia who came to officially release him, and she brought with her something he'd been missing: his uniform. "Your sentence is up, sir," she said with a smile. She stuck the key into the lock and opened the door. "Congratulations. As of right now, you officially have all the powers and authority of the commandant once more. Welcome back." She handed him the folded clothes, and then turned around to let him change.

When done, he stepped out into the hall and held his arms out. "Well?"

Sodia smiled. "You look like a commandant again, sir."

Flynn turned to Yuri, who stood leaning against the bars. "Yuri… I'm sorry. You were sentenced while I wasn't acting as commandant, so it's out of my hands. I'd have to pull some serious strings to get you pardoned. If you really want me to, I could, but I'd end up owing a lot of people some serious favours."

Yuri waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. It's just ten more days. I've had worse. Keep the good food coming and I'll enjoy the vacation."

Flynn nodded. "I will."

"Go on," Yuri said. "I know you're eager to get your butt back in your office."

"Thanks, Yuri," Flynn said with a dry smile, and then followed Sodia out of the jail.

He was about to take the turn toward his office when Sodia said, "Actually, sir, I thought we'd take a shortcut across the training grounds."

Flynn frowned. "A short cut? But that's out of the way. That's a… a long cut."

"Trust me, sir."

"If you insist." He was in too good a mood to protest to pretty much anything at the moment. He followed Sodia through the castle, smiling and nodding at all the guards on duty who jumped to attention and saluted him as he passed. He wondered what Sodia was up to until he stepped outside onto the training grounds, and was immediately taken aback by how crowded it was.

A cheer rang out through the gathered knights, and Sodia looked over at him with a smile as he stood and stared in shock. "They all wanted to welcome you back, sir," she said. "We had faith in you the entire time."

"I…" He didn't know what to say. He was so used to dealing with the critical Council, and knights who interacted with him with nothing but professional protocol, that he often forgot just how much the average knight respected him. Sometimes he didn't feel like he deserved that respect, and sometimes the thought of having to live up to that respect overwhelmed him, but right now it was comforting to remember that it was there. At a loss for words, he strode forward down the long aisle between the ranks of knights, all saluting him. He supposed that after a month of taking orders from the Council, he'd be happy he was back too.

He was almost at the end when he heard a muttered voice say, "…got his job back after being in prison. Disgraceful."

Flynn paused, and turned to see who was talking. What a surprise, it was Peel. As soon as Peel saw Flynn looking, he jumped to attention to tried to pretend he hadn't been gossipping to his annoyed neighbour.

"Captain Peel," Flynn said, walking up to him.

"Yes, sir?"

"You know, you're the only knight I encountered that didn't continue to treat me with respect even after I was arrested."

Fear took hold across Peel's face. "I... uh... sir, you must understand..."

"You know," Flynn said, "I actually respect that."

Peel's face turned to shock. "Uh… sir?"

"You treated me like a criminal, and at the time, for all you knew, I was. No one accused of murder should be given preferential treatment, no matter what their rank before the crime."

"Uh… yes, sir!" Peel puffed himself up a bit.

"However…" Flynn took a bit of satisfaction in watching Peel's puffiness deflate at the tone of voice in that 'however'. "You came very close to killing me. Had the guildsmen from Fortune's Market not interrupted you, I have little doubt that you would have carried through with killing me in Capua Nor. We do not kill suspects, Peel. A suspect, even one charged with murder, must be brought back to face justice legally, in a court, to determine whether they should be given the death penalty. Even then, it is not up to an individual knight to carry out that order."

Peel's face fell. "Sir, you misunderstand, I was merely-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. This has nothing to do with personal grudge for my involvement, and everything to do with you proving that you cannot be trusted to carry out the duties of a knight. In addition, I have reason to believe that you had plans to use knight resources to assist Count Borden for your personal gain. Given these two issues, and a long history of disrespectful comments that tell me you have no interest in working under me in the first place, I have little choice but to dismiss you from the Knights."

Peel's mouth flapped like a confused fish. "But… sir…"

"Please pack up your things and vacate the castle within twenty-four hours. Thank you for your service."

"B-but… but…"

"Lieutenant Leblanc," Flynn said, turning his head to look to the man standing behind Peel, "what do you think of the sound of the Leblanc Brigade?"

Leblanc gaped at him. "Sir…?"

"I need a new captain to take Peel's place and you did save our lives. I think you've earned it." Not that Yuri would ever admit that Leblanc, Adecor, and Boccos had saved his life. Flynn had a feeling Yuri was going to develop a curious amnesia of the entire event.

Leblanc hastily saluted. "Thank you, sir! This is an honour, sir!"

"You deserve it," Flynn said. He gave him a smile, and then kept walking. He'd finalize the promotion once he got back to his office. At the end of the line of knights, he stopped and looked back one more time before entering the castle. "You know, Sodia," he said, "I don't think I could ever ask for better knights." Well, except for Peel.

* * *

After a long day of catching up on paperwork, Flynn relaxed in his living room. It was so nice to be able to stretch out on his couch and not worry about knights chasing him or assassins to catch. There was still a lot of work to be done, but there was no pressing deadline to save his own life, and that was a much-welcomed return to normal. Repede napped on the floor, curled up by the couch. He had decided to stay with Flynn instead of Estelle until Yuri was out. When someone knocked on his door, he almost considered telling them to get lost and let him rest.

"Flynn? It's me."

His agitation faded. "Come in, Lady Estellise."

Estelle opened the door and shuffled into the room, a messily-frosted cake in her hands. "Hello, Flynn," she said with a smile.

Flynn sat upright and eyed the cake with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?"

Estelle smiled brightly. "I made you a cake to celebrate getting out of jail!" She set it on the coffee table and sat down next to him. It was a round cake covered in white icing, with sloppily-piped blue frosting across the top reading "Congratulations On Not Being In Jail =D"

"It looks delicious," Flynn said.

"I hope you like it! I'm going to make one for Yuri, too. What's his favourite flavour of cake?"

Flynn didn't even have to think about this. "Chocolate, definitely, and put strawberries on top."

Estelle bobbed her head. "Alright, good. Thanks." Even though she didn't say anything else, she didn't get up again either.

"Is there something you need, Estellise?" He didn't want her to feel like he was trying to get rid of her, but he really was kind of tired.

"Um… I kind of wanted to talk to you." She fiddled with her dress, staring down at her hands.

Flynn frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, Flynn. It's just… I found your note."

His frown deepened. "Which note?"

"I suppose you don't remember writing it," she said. "I found it on your desk. I'm sorry - Sodia asked me to look through your room to find some papers she needed. It was addressed to me, so I read it."

Flynn didn't remember writing any letter addressed to Estelle, and the thought that he must have done so while drugged terrified him. Oh hell, what had he written in his mind-addled state? Had he waxed poetic about still having feelings for her? He didn't, but he didn't know what his drugged mind thought. Whatever it was, he hoped she didn't hold it again him. "I don't know what it says, but whatever it was-"

"It was a goodbye letter, Flynn."

His heart broke at how grief-stricken her eyes were. "A… goodbye? Why was I saying goodbye?"

"You said you were running away because the pressure of work was too much for you. And… I talked to Yuri today. He told me what you said in the desert."

"Oh." He knew he should have held his tongue. He'd only broken down and vented all that to Yuri because he was hot, miserable, and thought he was going to die soon anyway. Now he'd gone and worried Estelle, and that wasn't acceptable.

She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Flynn… if you were so miserable, you should have talked to me."

"I don't want to worry you with my problems."

Estelle glared at him, which was a surprisingly angry expression for her. "You're so stupid, Flynn. I _want_ to be worried with your problems! You're my friend, and when you're hurting I want to help you. Honestly, you're as bad as Yuri. You should have told me what was going on. Flynn, I… when I found your note, at first I thought you were going to kill yourself!" Her grip tightened, squeezing Flynn's hand almost painfully.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could think of saying.

"But you shouldn't have to apologize, because if you were miserable, I should have noticed. So… can we just agree that you won't keep things like this from me anymore? If you're hurting, you need to tell me, or at least tell Yuri, and we can make it better. Ok?"

Flynn nodded. "Alright. I promise."

"Good. So… are you still feeling depressed?"

"I'm not sure if I'd say I was ever depressed," Flynn said. "More overwhelmed. I feel under a lot of pressure to be perfect."

"I don't think anyone who has ever tried your cooking would think you're perfect."

Flynn pouted. "Not you, too. It's bad enough I have Yuri on my case about that."

Estelle squeezed his hand with a smile. "You know, the only person whose expectations you _really_ need to live up to-"

"I know," Flynn said. "Myself."

"Actually, I was going to say Ioder."

Flynn paused. "Oh. Yes, him too."

"He's the only person in the empire who outranks you, after all. Ioder doesn't think you're infallible, and I think after this whole fiasco, few other people do as well. Even if you were cleared of murder, you did break out of prison and stowaway on a ship. Everyone in the empire knows about that by now - it's been in all the papers."

"Has it?" Oh crap, he hadn't considered that. The thought of all his misdemeanours made public made him flush with embarrassment. "Oh dear…"

"No, Flynn, this is a good thing!" Estelle said hurriedly. "Now everyone knows that you're not perfect and you mess up sometimes. Everyone knows that sometimes you do less-than-ideal things, _but_ everyone also knows that you are still a man who won't sit back and allow injustice to happen."

"I suppose that's true," he said. He didn't even have to ask to know that Yuri's part in this adventure would have been severely cut back by the papers. In a news story about the brave commandant exposing a conspiracy, catching a murderer, and rescuing the kidnapped princess (even if he'd been paralyzed during that particular event) no one wanted to hear about the contributions of his Union buddy.

"And, um…" she bit her lip. "You know, Yuri, me, Ioder, the Council, the officials you interact with on a day-to-day basis… none of us have ever thought you were perfect. I think maybe the person with the most overwhelming expectations for yourself is, well, yourself."

She looked down at her hands while Flynn sat silently analyzing the curve of the C in the lettering on the cake. Estelle's words hit him in the gut and then burned through his chest with their truth. That's how it always was, wasn't it? He knew he needed to become the best knight he could be in order to achieve his far-reaching goals, and he'd set standards for himself in order to reach that. Those standards had helped him reach the rank of commandant by the age of twenty-one, but they certainly hadn't done much for his stress levels. The expectations of the people around him certainly hadn't helped, but they only thought he was perfect because he already demanded perfection from himself.

"Flynn?"

He realized he'd been silent for over a minute. He raised his head and looked to Estelle. "I think… I think you're right." The number one source of pressure in his life was his own. That was ok, though, because if it was coming from himself, he could control it. He would cut himself some slack now and then, and he'd stop worrying so much about public opinion. It would take a while to get used to allowing himself to be imperfect, but from a logical point of view it was the only way to keep himself from burning out before he was twenty-five. He had no doubt that he'd mess up sometimes - probably a lot of times - but whatever happened, he wasn't going to bottle it up anymore. That helped no one, and he couldn't imagine putting Estelle through the anxiety of worrying about him again. Maybe it had been overwhelming pressure that drove Alexei to villainy, but the one thing Flynn had that Alexei didn't was the support of close friends. It would be stupid to not use this precious resource.

He squeezed Estelle's hand. "Thank you. I think I'm going to be ok."

"Good," Estelle said with a firm nod. "Now, let's eat cake!"

"Pardon?"

"It's impossible to be sad while eating cake." She jumped up and ran to his kitchen. Flynn watched with amusement as she returned with a knife, two forks, and a couple of plates. As she cut into the cake, she said, "I made it myself, so I'm not sure how good it is."

"I'm sure it's wonderful."

Estelle placed a slice on a small plate and handed it to him.

"Thank you. Oh, Estellise, I thought I should mention. I, uh, I told Yuri about our relationship. I hope you don't mind. He kind of wrangled it out of me."

"That's ok," Estelle said, taking a slice for herself. "It was never really a secret. I just didn't see a reason to bring it up. How did he react?"

Flynn frowned. "He laughed a lot."

"I kind of figured he would."

Flynn took a bite of the cake. It was indeed incredibly delicious.

* * *

A couple of days after returning to work, Flynn made a trip to the imperial prison. The guards waved him right in. He considered stopping to reprimand them for not enforcing proper security clearance, but then he remembered he was trying to be a little more laid back to prevent a mental breakdown. He was their boss; of course they didn't stop him to ask him what he was doing here.

Even Flynn wasn't entirely sure what he was doing here. The the collaborators had admitted to their crimes and been found guilty, and they'd all been thoroughly questioned about where Mrs. Zadel had disappeared to. None of them knew, and Flynn trusted his knights to have done a proper interrogation. All their questions had been answered, and Flynn was already halfway through a draft of a new law restricting growing billybally plants without a license. There was nothing more needed from any of the culprits to wrap up the case, but Flynn still felt the need to talk to one of them.

Zadel looked up when Flynn stopped in front of his cell. He sat on the edge of his bed and folded his hands in his lap. Flynn stood still for a long minute, trying to figure out what to say. There were a lot of things running through his head, and a lot of questions he needed to ask.

Finally, Zadel broke the silence. "You know, you should have taken me up on that offer to go out for a drink that night."

All Flynn's confused thoughts came out as a sigh. "Yeah." He'd thought about that moment a lot over the past few weeks. If he had been able to give a concrete alibi to Ioder during his initial interrogation, none of this would have happened. Why hadn't he gone? In retrospect, it seemed so meaningless. He hadn't wanted to turn in those forms late, even though he'd been given them at the last minute and no one of importance would conceivably hold it against him if they were a bit late. If he hadn't been so obsessed with being flawless, maybe this whole mess could have been avoided. "Why _did_ you invite me?" he asked. "If I had accepted, your whole scheme would have been ruined."

"I know," Zadel said. "That's actually what I was hoping for."

"I don't understand."

Zadel sighed and hung his head. "I never wanted any of this. I really do like you, Flynn. I think you're leading the empire into a promising future."

Anger spiked. "You _like_ me? You tried to have me executed for murder."

"I'm sorry," Zadel said. "I really am. I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to explain to my mother that you saved the world in the crisis that followed Alexei's death, but she wouldn't listen. I'm pathetic, and I know it. She gathered up all the Council members she thought she could get on her side and started plotting this whole thing to get rid of you, and she dragged me along with it. I couldn't talk her out of it, so I thought, I might as well join in and maybe I could find a way to help you."

Flynn crossed his tensed arms. There was no point in losing his temper with Zadel here, but it was hard to keep his voice level. "You could have warned me. You could have _told me_ there was a conspiracy plotting to frame me for murder."

"But how could I do that without leading you back to my mother?"

"Your mother is a criminal," Flynn said. "She plotted the deaths of Borden and Emmery, and came very close to killing me, Lady Estellise, and Yuri. Why were you so concerned with protecting her?!"

In a small, hollow voice that sounded much more like a frightened child than a dignified councilman, he said, "Because she's my mother."

Flynn looked away. He didn't know the full details of Zadel's life story, but he could put the pieces together. Flynn knew a thing or two about overwhelming pressure to achieve, the stress of living up to a parent, and how sometimes you might go against your better judgement when the person in the wrong is a loved one. He didn't forgive Zadel for his actions, but that didn't mean he didn't understand them. "I see."

"I really am sorry, Flynn. If I could go back and redo it all…"

"You can't," Flynn said. "You chose your path, and now you must walk it. But," his expression softened somewhat, "you yourself didn't actually kill anyone. You're convicted of accomplice to murder, so I doubt you will be in here for the rest of your life. When your sentence is served, I urge you to make the most out of your remaining life. Maybe you can find some way to redeem yourself."

"Yes," Zadel said, nodding slowly. "I will do whatever it takes."

"And… you really have no idea where your mother might have fled to?"

Zadel shook his head. "No. I'm sorry."

"Alright." He hadn't expected him to, because he didn't get the impression that Mrs. Zadel let her son in on the details of her plans. After all, he knew nothing about the gold Mrs. Zadel was after. "Thank you for your time." As he left, he wondered if he felt better or worse about the fact that Zadel really had supported him despite trying to kill him.

* * *

Estelle walked through the castle, heading home after visiting Yuri. He still had a couple of days left before he'd be let out, but Estelle had made it a point to visit him every single day. She couldn't stand the thought of him being lonely down there. He kept telling her not to worry about him, but from the way he smiled when he thought she wasn't looking, she could tell he appreciated it. She brought him food, too. The guards had followed through on their orders to bring him decent meals and not typical prison grub, but Estelle thought that any experience in jail could be improved with freshly baked cookies.

"Estellise!"

She paused and looked over her shoulder to see Ioder walking quickly toward her. "Hello," she said when he reached her.

"Good afternoon." They started walking down the hall together. "Were you visiting Yuri?"

"That's right. It's so unfair that he was locked up this long."

"I know," Ioder said. "I do apologize for not pardoning him. It's a delicate situation, and if the Council perceives me to be throwing out pardons as personal favours it goes against the fair and just government I'm working toward."

"It's alright, I understand. I'm sure Yuri does, too. How is Flynn?" She had barely seen him since their talk the night he got out of jail. He was so busy running around and catching up on everything he'd missed that he didn't have much time to stop to chat.

"He seems to have gone right back to his old self," Ioder said. "Although I notice he's been a little more lax with deadlines. I think he's finally realized that most people set deadlines with the expectation that the finished product will be a bit later."

"That's good," Estelle said. She wasn't sure that Flynn would keep this up, but she'd stay on top of him to make sure he didn't go overboard again. "Oh, I meant to ask you. Now that Borden and Emmery are dead, and Mrs. Zadel has disappeared, what is going to be done about that land in Hypionia?"

"Actually, that's something Flynn has been working on." Ioder smiled and said, "I think you and Yuri are going to like it. After the inheritance scandal, we've decided to take the land as government property, not belonging to any individual."

Estelle frowned. "I'm not sure Yuri is going to like that." There wasn't a lot Yuri liked about the empire taking control of anything.

" _And_ ," Ioder added, "all profit from the gold mined there will be used for relief of the lower classes. This extra government income will destroy the Council's argument that lowering taxes for the lower quarter isn't feasible."

"Oh!" Estelle said as her smile returned. "Yes, I think Yuri will like that very much, actually."

"Unfortunately, there still has been no word on the location of Mrs. Zadel, but Flynn assures me he has knights looking for her all over the empire."

"That's something, at least," Estelle said. Flynn assured her that tracking her down was important for justice to be served, but that he didn't think she was actually dangerous. He doubted she would try coming after them again. Estelle, though, couldn't get the memory of Yuri shouting for help out of her mind. Yuri didn't call for help unless he was really desperate, and after Mrs. Zadel had put him in that position and then gotten away with no repercussions, she was furious. This was on top of how worried she'd been when she and Yuri had arrived back at the jail cell and found Flynn, paralyzed and surrounded by panicking guards, and Yuri had hastily explained to her that he'd nearly been smothered to death but that he was alright now. Mrs. Zadel had done _that,_ too, and she wasn't even getting punished? She hated the fact that they still lived in a world where nobles could walk all over people and then get away with it.

They reached the door to her rooms and Ioder said, "I'll take my leave here. Have a good day."

"You as well," Estelle said, and then opened her door. The first thing she noticed when she entered was that there was already someone in her house. The second thing she noticed was that it was Rita. "Rita!" She ran across the room and tackled her on the couch. "What are you doing here!? I'm so happy to see you!"

"Ack! G-get off me, Estelle!"

Estelle pulled back to let her breathe. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," Rita said. "A maid let me in and said I could wait here."

"You should have told me you were going to visit again!" Estelle couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Rita crossed her arms and blushed. "It's not like I just popped in to visit. I need to get the communicator back from Yuri and Flynn. It's important."

"For your work?"

"Yes."

She tilted her head to the side. "But… I'm the only person you can talk to with it."

"I said it's important, alright!?"

"Whatever you say, Rita."

"But… I can stay for a couple of days. If you want."

"Only if you want to," Estelle said hurriedly. "I wouldn't want to pull you away from your work."

"No, it's ok, I can spare a couple of days. I mean, only if you want me here."

"I always want you here."

"F-fine, I'll stay."

"Good." She wrapped her arm around Rita's shoulders and pulled her against her side. Rita didn't stop crossing her arms, but she didn't push her away, either.

"Did you talk to Ted, yet?"

"Yes," Estelle said.

"So the little brat's out of the way now, right?"

"I said I would go on a date with him when he's twenty."

"What?!"

Estelle giggled. "Don't worry, Rita. I'm sure he'll have gotten over his crush by then."

"He'd better," Rita said with a scowl.

"I went to talk to him the other day," Estelle said. "I brought him a new book to read and filled him in on how Yuri and Flynn are doing. I assured him that if I ever wrote a book about this adventure, I'd give him a big part."

"Brat."

"Aw, I think he's sweet," Estelle said. "I like kids."

"I don't," Rita said. "They smell and they say stupid stuff and they don't understand complex mathematical equations."

Estelle wrinkled her brow and looked down at Rita's head. "Rita… _I_ don't understand complex mathematical equations."

"Yeah, well you're different. Hmph, I just came here to get the dumb communicator."

"Oh, about that!" Estelle said with a grin. "Yuri told me that the reason he knew he and Flynn were walking into a trap was because the message didn't contain any smiley faces. So, my habit of adding smiley faces saved their lives!"

Rita frowned. "Ok… where are you going with this?"

"I'm saying you can't complain about me using them anymore because Yuri and Flynn are only alive because I like to make smiley faces with equals signs and parentheses."

Rita rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine! But you can't complain about my spelling, then."

"But Rita, your spelling is _really_ bad."

"I'll spell things properly if you don't use those dumb smilies."

Estelle hesitated. This was a difficult decision. She loved proper writing… but she also loved smilies. "Hm… no," she said, wrapping her arms around Rita and squeezing her tight. "Go ahead and spell bad, Rita. I like you just the way you are."

"Hmph," Rita said, but she leaned into the hug.

* * *

Twenty days couldn't pass quickly enough. Yuri stretched his arms as he left the cell, and then took a good look at the man who'd let him out. "Nice new uniform, Leblanc."

Leblanc puffed his chest up. "I was promoted by the commandant personally!"

"So, did your lackeys get promoted, too? I'm going to have trouble remembering to call them Lieutenant Tweedle A and Lieutenant Tweedle B."

"I say, we have had quite enough of your taunting!"

"We didn't eve get promoted!"

"You didn't?" Yuri said, looking to the pair with a look of mock outrage. "Whatever is that commandant thinking, passing over such prime specimens of knighthood?"

"Drop it, Lowell," Leblanc said, but he didn't sound very mad. "I hope I don't have to see you down here again."

Yuri smirked as he made his way up the steps. "Oh, you will. I have a feeling." He waved goodbye without looking back, and then made his way toward Flynn's office. He needed to pick up Repede before heading home. He'd wasted too much time in Zaphias already. He hoped they'd made progress on the fountain without him, because he was starting to feel guilty about leaving Karol in Dahngrest for this long.

He didn't bother knocking when he reached Flynn's office. Flynn sighed and didn't even look up when he heard Yuri come in. "Hello, Yuri."

Yuri grabbed the chair across Flynn's desk and jerked it back. "Flynn… did you bake me a cake?" A chocolate cake covered in sliced strawberries sat on Flynn's desk. It looked delicious, but from Yuri's experience with Flynn's cooking, it had to be a trap. The more delicious something looked, the more likely it was to make his taste buds quit their jobs complaining of workplace abuse.

Flynn finally raised his head. "No, Lady Estellise baked it for you. She was busy today so she left it for me to give you. It's a 'congratulations on getting out of jail' cake."

"Oh, good." In that case, he felt safe reaching out and swiping a mouthful of frosting with his finger.

"Yuri! At least use a fork."

Yuri licked his finger. Mmm, yes, this definitely had not been touched by Flynn. "Why? It's my cake. I'll eat it how I want."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do what you want."

There was in fact a fork on the desk, as well as a knife and plate. Clearly Flynn had anticipated that Yuri would want to eat the cake right away, because when you grew up in the lower quarter you learned not to leave delicious food lying around. Yuri didn't bother cutting a slice and dove right in with the fork. Flynn grimaced at this, but held his tongue.

"I need to thank Estelle or this," Yuri said between bites. "If I get 'getting out of jail' cake every time I get out of jail, I may need to commit more crimes."

"Please tell me you're joking."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Relax, Flynn."

"Good. So, what are you doing now? Going back to Dahngrest?"

"Soon. I'm going to help out a bit more around the lower quarter, but I really need to get back by the end of the month. You'll be ok with me gone, right? How are you doing on your… issues?"

Flynn frowned. "I'm… fine. I'm taking things slow. I don't need you to stick around, though. Estellise is more support than I need."

"Good. So... since you're feeling alright, that means I can make fun of you for nearly getting murdered by an old lady, right?"

Flynn gave him a dry look. "No."

"Can you imagine the obituary? Big, strong commandant, murdered by a seventy-year-old woman."

"She nearly killed you, too, remember."

Yuri shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm not going to be in any history books, am I? No little kiddies a hundred years from now are going to learn about me in their history classes and snicker to themselves about how I died."

Someone knocked at the door, and, looking grateful for the interruption, Flynn called, "Come in." In a lower voice, he said to Yuri, "Did you hear that? That's called 'knocking'. It's this new thing we're trying around the castle. Maybe you can give it a shot next time."

Yuri smirked. "Nah, seems a bit complicated."

Sodia approached the desk with a paper in hand. She glared at Yuri, but turned her attention to Flynn. "Sir, there's been a… development in the search for Mrs. Zadel."

Flynn's face turned excited. "Did you find her?"

"In a way," Sodia said. "She's dead."

"Dead?" Flynn frowned. "How? Where?"

"She was found with her throat slit at a Heliord inn. Sir, this note was found with the body." She handed the paper over. Yuri got out of his chair and leaned over the desk to read it as well.

_Commandant Flynn -_

_I hope this makes up for nearly ruining your life. I really do hate nobles._

_-G_

"We've got knights in Heliord doing a thorough investigation, sir," Sodia said.

"Good," Flynn said. "But I already know who you're looking for."

"Sir?"

Flynn sat still, staring at the note. Yuri sunk back into his chair, watching him carefully to see how he'd react. When it had been Yuri assassinating nobles who'd escaped justice, Flynn had let him off. Would he do the same for Garen? If he didn't, would he and Yuri have to feud again about the correct path of justice? As far as Yuri was concerned, Garen had done the world a favour in getting rid of that murderous bitch. He didn't like the guy, but supported his actions. He could tell from Flynn's face, though, that all Flynn's moral codes told him Garen was a murderer who needed to be caught and punished for taking the law into his own hands.

Flynn finally pried his eyes away from the note and looked to Yuri. For a long five seconds they maintained eye contact, until Flynn said, "I happen to know that this man is dead."

Sodia frowned in confusion. "Sir, how could you possibly-?"

"I said he's dead," Flynn said stiffly, looking to her. "There is no need to look for him. With Mrs. Zadel's death, this case is closed."

Sodia could clearly see there was more to this, but she didn't push the subject. "Understood, sir." She saluted, and left the office.

Flynn picked up his pen and started working again, while Yuri sat still and quietly observed him. After almost five minutes of silence, Flynn said, "Do you need something, Yuri?"

"That was an interesting call," Yuri said. "I figured you'd go after him."

Flynn frowned and paused. "I'm still not sure if I did the right thing. Garen murdered someone, after all. But… the person he murdered very nearly killed me, you, and Lady Estellise. It isn't my place to determine if anyone deserves death, but…"

"She totally deserved it," Yuri said.

Flynn looked up. His eyes agreed with Yuri, even if he wouldn't let his mouth say it. "Besides, Garen is from the Union. Chasing down guild criminals in Dahngrest is still a touchy issue. If we do it too often, the Union will undoubtedly get angry and claim we're violating the terms of the peace treaty. I don't feel like this man is worth that."

"I still figured you'd go after him. It's the legal, by-the-book thing to do."

"Ah, but didn't you hear? I'm experimenting with being imperfect."

"And how's that going for you?"

"It's difficult. But I think, in the long run, easier."

 _"_ I'm sure you're be fine." Yuri kicked back his chair and stood up. He looked to the door to Flynn's personal rooms and called, "Hey, Repede, you coming?" A couple of seconds later, the door nudged open and Repede trotted out. "Tell Estelle thanks for the cake," Yuri said, picking it up with one hand. He definitely wasn't leaving without it.

"I will. Yuri… thanks for everything. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

"Yeah, sure," Yuri said, walking to the door with Repede right behind him. "Don't go getting yourself arrested again, you hear? If I find out you're in jail again I'll think you're trying to infringe on my record."

Flynn chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Yuri kicked the door shut behind him and he and Repede made their way toward the castle's exit. All in all, he was in a pretty good mood. He was out of jail, Flynn was cleared of his charges, the bitch who'd tried to incinerate him was dead, and, most importantly of all, he had a cake.


End file.
